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This is the concluding post in the three-part series on *Handling Layoffs*:

Handling a Layoff: A Manager or Supervisor Perspective

Layoff is more about regrouping and channelizing anxiety into energy, than anything else. This is valid for the candidate as well as for the manager or supervisor. Organizations are not doing anything wrong when they downsize as part of their?business strategy. However, the issue is how the layoff is handled in the organization work culture. And this is where great leadership comes into play.

Primarily, it is about communication. In part two of these series on layoffs, I talked about an online survey to get comments on how the professionals handled a layoff. To the question ?Was the layoff communicated professionally?, nearly 70% respondents said NO or it could have been communicated better.

As I learned in my Mass Communications study, communication in corporate world is not merely about sender, receiver, medium, and message. Some equally important facets in corporate communicate are *How, how much, voice intonation, timing, clarity, pitch, friendliness, respect, and space*.

Managers may see themselves as layoff survivors, but they need to press the paddle harder and lead their team, group, or organization in right direction. Here is a list of important pointers for managers to help them ensure that the layoff is handled well in the organization.

Silence is Really Bad: During downsizing, managers tend to communicate less. However, it breeds rumours and uncertainty which impacts the work culture and productivity of the organization. Trust dwells from transparency and communication, and leaders need to communicate openly and honestly about the layoff.

Visibility: Sensing uncertainty in the air, managers may prefer less visibility during such times. Meetings are generally long and behind-the-closed-doors, and managers tend to stay occupied with something, to avoid open conversation.

As a manager, if you used to have periodic meetings for project status, do not make a shift to emails or online messages. Maintain your visibility since this is the time for you to motivate the team by walking around. Employees need to see you, and talk to you, and you should be approachable. If behind-the-closed-doors meetings are unavoidable, ensure that these follow with open-the-door meetings as well.

Protecting Organization Interests is NOT More Important than to Preserve Employee Self-Esteem: The morale of surviving workforce takes a huge setback if (a) employees are encouraged not to talk about it openly, (b) a closed-door meeting does not follow an open-door meeting, (c) no farewell is organized for the parting employee (citing time constraints or any other reason). These are also the signs of ineffective leadership. Managers should realise that to protect organization?s interests is NOT more important than to respect the self-esteem of outgoing employee or to safeguard the?confidence of?remaining employees.

Eliminate Surprise Factor: There are cases when organization is not sure whether a layoff may?be required in next 30 or 60 days. The managers can talk to target employees and apprise them of the situation in advance, honestly. Managers can talk about greater focus on project ownership, more involvement, and improved cohesion in the team, in an effort to avoid the layoff. Even if it was unavoidable, they had already eliminated the surprise factor, and the outgoing employees are more likely to be thankful for the trust shown, and for being open about it in advance.

Saying No: Managers do not need to make twisted statements if they do not have answers to some questions. Rather, they should say no and promise to get back with accurate answers. Speaking out about a bad news is better than not sharing it at all.

Repeat: Some managers share information for the sake of sharing it as their *duty*. A manager?s responsibility is not merely to *share* it; it is also to ensure that the work?culture is not affected by such events. Kenneth Freeman, the former CEO of Quest Diagnostics, had great experience with downsizings, and other stressful changes. In May 2009, Freeman emphasized on the importance of repeating messages in turbulent times, as ?Communicate until it hurts. . . The shock of the initial announcement will prevent employees from absorbing everything you tell them at that time.? It helps the news getting synch-in, collaboratively, thus reducing the chances of speculations and uncertainty.

Offer Support: Managers should offer support to employees such as for resume writing, job search, and by forwarding references. It shows the *no-love-lost* feeling and that the organization is as concerned about the person now, as it was during the employment.

Handling Difficult Employees: Sometimes, the managers put their best efforts to make the exit process as smooth as possible by being friendly, communicative and supportive. Even then, the employee does not pay back the respect, and retaliates. Remember that the outcry might be because?of a momentarily emotional outburst. Managers should be patient and supportive and if the situation worsens, they should treat such cases purely on business terms?follow the organization policy, comply with the contract agreement, and sign off amicably.

Conclusion: Layoffs and Managers

As I said earlier in this post, handling a layoff?is as complex for a manager as it is for the employees. However, the manager?is?best placed to steer the team in right direction. Words such as (a) It is unfortunate that we had to let them go. We all understand that economy has hit us hard but we need to make efforts and be one of the companies to come out of this stronger, or (b) I see us growing together in a positive direction in this very company, if we can pull together, go a long way in helping the team dynamics.

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This concludes the three part series on *Handling Layoffs*. I will resume the core technical documentation topics, from next?post.

Source: http://enjoytechnicalwriting.com/2012/08/10/handling-layoffs-a-manager-or-supervisor-perspective/

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