Holicent
VIP Contributor
When a company is in financial trouble, it's important to make sure you're handling your human resources correctly. If you need to lay off some workers, here are some tips to make sure it's done fairly and professionally:
1. Make sure you've tried all other options before reaching the decision to lay people off.
2. Create a list of all employees at the company, and give them each a score based on objective metrics like performance reviews.
3. Lay off the worst-performing employees first
4. Make sure that everyone who is laid off has time to pack up their stuff from their desk and say goodbye to their colleagues before they leave for good.
It's also important to know what you're going to say before you open your mouth. Be honest and straightforward, but also compassionate. Don't lie about the reason for the layoff or use euphemisms or corporate jargon. If possible, be one of the first people to communicate with your staff about the layof, you want them to hear it from you instead of from a friend or colleague. And prepare for some awkward questions your employees will have them and they deserve answer.
Lastly, prepare for the aftermath. Even if you've done everything right and handled the situation with grace and professionalism, some of your staff may not be happy so think ahead about how you'll handle any backlash after the fact (and how you'll handle your own emotions as well). This probably isn't going to be something that's easy to do, so make sure to take care of yourself afterwards.
1. Make sure you've tried all other options before reaching the decision to lay people off.
2. Create a list of all employees at the company, and give them each a score based on objective metrics like performance reviews.
3. Lay off the worst-performing employees first
4. Make sure that everyone who is laid off has time to pack up their stuff from their desk and say goodbye to their colleagues before they leave for good.
It's also important to know what you're going to say before you open your mouth. Be honest and straightforward, but also compassionate. Don't lie about the reason for the layoff or use euphemisms or corporate jargon. If possible, be one of the first people to communicate with your staff about the layof, you want them to hear it from you instead of from a friend or colleague. And prepare for some awkward questions your employees will have them and they deserve answer.
Lastly, prepare for the aftermath. Even if you've done everything right and handled the situation with grace and professionalism, some of your staff may not be happy so think ahead about how you'll handle any backlash after the fact (and how you'll handle your own emotions as well). This probably isn't going to be something that's easy to do, so make sure to take care of yourself afterwards.