Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2012. The forecast that one in four people in Spain’s labor force would be unemployed by the end of that year and the February 2012 CIS survey (84%) belong to that period.
The rule is: never say “don’t worry, it’s nothing“. Beyond that, dismissals are always the hardest part of Human Resources work, and staff feel exactly the same way while the company is going through the process. Both sides are right, and the way the news is delivered must be handled with great care.
The atmosphere becomes tense and difficult. There are times when people are afraid of emails, of last-minute calls, of the channels used to communicate with staff, because they feel the bad news could arrive at any moment. Especially with the current trend of doing it late on a Friday, just as staff are starting to feel the weekend break.
The reason: to let feelings be disinfected over the weekend. Staff come back on Monday with a less bitter aftertaste than when they left late on Friday. Not enough time has passed to digest it, but enough for the pain to ease.
Sadly, by the end of the year one in four people in the labor force is expected to be out of work, which is the main concern of 84% of Spaniards, according to the latest survey by the CIS (Spain’s Center for Sociological Research), from February. This situation creates problems within companies, such as the anxiety suffered by 40% of workers.
Other side effects of the measure are the demotivation, apathy and discouragement that settle into the company’s day-to-day productivity. That’s why intense, motivating communication is needed. Be transparent and encouraging, and explain that these steps are being taken to reach better goals in the short and medium term. Also announce when the layoffs are over, taking care not to get ahead of events with promises that can’t be kept later.
Remember that, above all, they are people and, as such, full of feelings. Look for privacy and one-to-one communication when you have to deliver bad news. Let’s be aware that both sides suffer, employee and employer, when a dismissal is announced, but above all it must be communicated with care and with enough privacy for the person affected to express their feelings freely, however negative they may be. Of course, explain the reasons. Above all, explain that the dismissal is not down to the person and their qualities but to the circumstances the company is going through in the current economic climate.
Don’t send others to do the job you are paid to do. Remember, and I insist, this is a person and you are their leader. Don’t dodge your responsibilities: lean on the Human Resources department, but be the one who delivers the news.
After the dismissal
It’s a thoughtful, considerate touch to prepare documentation on the steps the employee should follow from that day on: unemployment benefit paperwork, documents, letters of recommendation, reading, job-search advice, and so on.
When you break the news, the employee doesn’t take in these recommendations. Later, at home, however, they will need to know everything they don’t yet know about their new situation. At the very least, they’ll give you a grateful smile for the help that documentation provides.
Now it’s time for their colleagues and network of contacts to step in: helping to put their name around the companies we know where our colleague could be useful, encouraging them to apply, and acting as a link between both sides.
Featured image: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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