The most crucial role played by any
employee during the reign of lay offs is of the HR personnel. The
responsibility of managing the employees during the time of crisis falls on
their shoulder. In such a chaotic environment it is important for the human
resource manager to play it cool and be transparent to the employees in
order to avoid developing of misconceptions. Below are some of the ways to
handle a situation like this without leaving any bitter taste in the mouth
of the employees -
Top Companies
Try to Convince with a Voluntary Lay Off Strategy
To make sure that there is not a complete breakdown, discuss the
probability of a voluntary lay off in order to control too much hysteria
after the news of lay off is broken. Also look for employees that have been
looking for early retirement as putting them in the line for voluntary lay
off will not be a major deal.
Don't Keep the Employees in a Myth
Some companies make fake promises when hiring the employees. It is
important to maintain some dignity by being honest about the position of the
company. Companies that lie to their employees often gain a very bad
reputation which can never be mended.
Be Sincere and Compassionate With Your Approach
While firing any employee it is important that you show your sincerity
towards the employees and also express your regret while letting go of any
employee. It should be the law of humanity to feel sorrow and sadness at the
loss of an employee.
Discourage the Emergence of Grapevine
To relieve the employees of unnecessary stress it is important that the
rumor mill is kept quite and under control. This was happening in various IT
companies across the globe a few months back. Since it is difficult to
control the rumors, it is important the HR person keeps track of what's
going around and keep the employees updated on anything that is happening
within the premise of the company
As far as possible, try to avoid a situation that necessitates the need of
lay offs. So all the HR personnels, it is important to grapple with reducing
staff and speed up the process and various support services that the
employees will be required to undergo.