Tuesday 27 September 2011
Layoff Someone – Gracefully
Layoff Someone – Gracefully
Author: Abhinav Bhatt
It can be very disturbing to lay off a person; however, it is important to know how to lay someone off gracefully. This can be very difficult to layoff as a part of organization restructuring, cutting headcount, economic/cost cutting etc. especially when the reason is not the poor performance of the employee.
It is needless to say that the manager/supervisor needs to be sensitive. Below could be few suggestions that could be used to layoff someone- Gracefully:
1. Preparation needs to be done before meeting the employee. Careful planning can limit the misunderstandings, anger and allegations. Make sure all the documents are in place before the meeting.
2. The organization can provide an employee some additional considerations like severance, medical coverage. Some perks like advance salary of a few months can help an employee find another job after he/she is laid off.
3. While meeting the employee, one needs to explain why the person is being laid off. One must be firm but courteous while outlining the reasons as briefly as possible and make sure that the employee fully understands why he or she is being fired and not criticized.
4. It is generally management’s decision to layoff an employee hence; one should try to limit the explanation and discussion about the termination and should not apologize for the same.
5. Let the employee express the feelings. Remind about the severance package or benefits offered.
6. Collect everything related to access that company provided, like the access cards, ID cards, and cross check which passwords, access codes, and permissions need to be changed.
7. Tell the employee how long they have to gather belongings and leave the area/premises. If possible, try to organize for a quick and graceful exit. Try to conclude meeting with a handshake and sincerely wish that the employee will do well in the future.
v Do not set lay-off traps; these are often counteracted by lawsuits
v Steer clear of humiliation (e.g., having others escorted out, using public lay-offs to make an example).
Some of the above ideas have been taken from the internet and some have been reflected from the movie - Up in the Air (2009)
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Its really a nice topic to talk on, we can say that Lay off is a,"It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it." But i can think of two issues can may occur in lay off process,
ReplyDelete1) f you lay off workers over age 50 but keep all your younger employees on staff, those older employees may suspect that they are being forced out to cut the cost of their higher wages or health insurance coverage.Then it becomes legal issues for organisations.
2) Losing a job due to layoffs or any other reason can have a significant impact on lifestyle, disposition and health of an employee. According to the National Institutes of Health, layoffs can harm workers' psychological wellness, which can lead to long-term emotional and physical problems.
By, Soniya Bhakodia
A good topic Abhinav.I liked the mention of places from where you have taken the ideas. Could you please elaborate on the dont's as I could not understand them clearly.
ReplyDeleteBy Mittal Nagda
A very amicable approach to something which could be so disturbing and very innovatively carved out.But i would also like to add another dimension to it, the way one should accept it with aplomb sitting on the other side- few pointers:
ReplyDeleteDon't freak out- as one will not be able to change anyone’s mind by debating the reasons behind the decision, so one may as well try to accept what’s happening and make the best of it.
Negotiate One's Exit but be pleasant and persuasive.
-Monalisa Singh
Hi Abhinav, as truly mentioned by you laying off someone could be really difficult to deal with but getting it done as gracefully and keeping in mind the other person’s feeling it needs to be done in the right procedure. But I would also like to add that even though organizations can provide with additional considerations such as medical coverage and advance salary perks, it’s very rare that organizations actually willing to do it. Hence it is the Hr’s job to see to it that only on circumstances where situations are beyond control that these terms be brought to notice of the employees. Also if an employee whether serving the notice period or not, gets paid only for the time required to serve during the notice period. I would also like to really appreciate you mentioning the source of the topic coming from.
ReplyDeleteAMIT JADHAV
Though its out of context but cant stop myself from mentioning a cheeky dialogue from the movie when the protagonist is sitting in the plane and the flight attendant approaches him;
ReplyDeleteFlight Attendant: Would you like the cancer?
Protagonist: What?
Flight Attendant: Would you like the can, sir?
:)
Happy Commenting
~Monalisa Singh
@ Sonia: 1) Agree to your point. Thats the reason companies have introduced VRS schemes and they put pressure on employees to opt out of organization taking the VRS scheme.
ReplyDelete2)Yes, lifestyle is definitely affected. There are ample examples were we get to know that the person has gone broke just because the earnings were less/not there and to maintain the same lifestyle was difficult for them. Example, MJ, Mike Tyson..
Regards,
-Abhinav
@Mittal, for the 'Donts' :
ReplyDelete1. When laying off someone, legal issues need to be kept in mind..Like in India we dont sue some organization, however, in the advanced countries, if one is not provided proper justification, He/She can file a lawsuits, which might cause heavy penalty. Hence, all the information/reasons need to be conveyed to the employee..
2. The second point talks about the humiliation..
We should avoid laying off someone in public which might lead to the employee taking serious steps..
I Hope this explains your clouds on the DONTs part :)
-Cheers,
AB
@ AMIT,
ReplyDeleteI second your point that rarely any organization want to actually compensate laid off employee.
However,some organizations like Bajaj did this.Before laying off there employees who specialized in fast dying 2 stroke engines, it gave them advance notice that they would be fired after 6 months. They also helped them find a new job by providing recommendations..
This could be one of the point we as an HR should bring into our organizations whenever given a chance..
Cheers,
AB
@ AMIT,
ReplyDeleteI second your point that rarely any organization want to actually compensate laid off employee.
However,some organizations like Bajaj did this.Before laying off there employees who specialized in fast dying 2 stroke engines, it gave them advance notice that they would be fired after 6 months. They also helped them find a new job by providing recommendations..
This could be one of the point we as an HR should bring into our organizations whenever given a chance..
Cheers,
AB
@ Monalisa
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sharing your HR insight experience.
Its true that Managers/HR personals have little or even no role in laying someone. Its just the management's decision to show the doors to an employee, and alas, HR/manager just has to execute the orders.
One harsh truth, EXIT interviews are mere formality these days. The employee's inputs provided in an exit interview are hardly reviewed/acted upon.
About the movie:
I thought a lot about the sequence when Natalie was given chance to fire the lady and when she threatened to commit suicide, any person at that time would freakout hearing this..
.. Movie was nice though! !
-Cheers,
AB