With the economy today in a weak state and the unemployment rate in Israel expected to be higher than 8% by the end of this year, it is inevitable that some companies will have to say goodbye to some of its employees.
How can this difficult process be made any easier?
1. Regular reviews - The employee should never be kept in the dark as to where they sit in relative terms to the rest of the team or company. If the employees are regularly reviewed (in a constructive way), there should be no surprises that when the company does need to have a reduction in numbers, the lowest ranked employees are the first to go. I have been involved in small companies, in particular, where there is no review process (not even once a year!) and therefore, employees are surprised when let go (even aside from those economic layoffs).
2. Keep emotion out of it - The layoffs are due to the economy, not due to the personality of the employee. Keep the discussion at that level. Explain in a concise fashion why the company needs to reduce the numbers of employees.
3. No suspense - Once you have the employee in the room, make sure to start the conversation about the layoffs. There will be enough anxiety because of rumors in the organization already. Let the employee know where they stand.
4. Do not leave - Allow the employee to keep the discussion going as long as it is productive. The employee may want to vent or overcome some level of shock (even with the review process, the end may be sudden.)
All people need to be treated with dignity, even those that will not be with the company for mych longer.
This is the most difficult thing a manager has to do (especially as it has nothing to do with the employee per se). Do not make it any harder.
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