A few months ago, I shared an episode of our podcast around how to communicate layoffs ethically and compassionately.

You can read it again here

Well, interestingly enough, I was talking to a friend last month who was starting to have discussions around layoffs.  She serves as the Deputy Director of a nonprofit that provides free legal assistance and because of decreased federal funding and other economic factors, her and the Executive Director were looking at upcoming layoffs. 

As she described it, She felt uneasy about ranking staff – iit felt dehumanizing – and lay off 5-6 folks.  

So I shared with her the episode and it apparently had a huge impact.

Instead of laying off 5-6 staff, they only had to lay off 1 person.  

And they were able to figure things out to help facilitate the conversation with that person so there were no hard feelings (they were all still sad) – but no fighting and things ended on as good of terms as they could have.  

What helped her?

1. They didn’t focus on ranking people, but focused on structure and roles

If they had to start ranking people, it would have led to the possibility of bias into the process.  Instead, they focused on what the future would need to look like and what roles would be needed in that new future.  This reframe helped them to shift some roles around so they could plan for next steps.  It also gave clarity to the work, and not resorting to playing favorites.

2. They gave ample time for the discussion

When it came to having the conversation, they set aside a great deal of time to ensure the person that was getting laid off had time to process the information.  My friend also spent a great deal preparing helpful resources and next steps to support the person in the process.

3. They gave her as much control over the situation as possible

They gave her the chance to either keep working 3 more weeks or leave immediately.  They didn’t make her do one thing or the other.  Instead, they tried to give her as many options as possible to have some measure of control in a situation that’s mostly out of her control.

As my friend shared with me, it turned from a largely stressful situation that could have really destroyed morale and relationship into a compassionate process that minimized disruption and maximized empathy.  

I thought her story was incredible and I wanted to take some time to share the story with you here as I know things are getting tighter everywhere and leaders are starting to need to make harder and harder decisions.

Watch the episode on YouTube here

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

If this is something you’re worried about or just want to vent to someone, reply back and let me know. 

I’m always happy to chat.

Cheers,

Chris

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PS – Whenever you’re ready, I have 3 ways to help you:

1. Let’s connect >>  If you’re struggling with difficult conversations and relationships, let’s find time to connect.  I’d love to see how I might be able to support you.
2. Communication and Leadership Courses >> If you’re a manager/leader looking for strategies to be better at coaching your employees, or you struggle with difficult conversations, take a look at a few resources I have to support you to balance empathy and assertiveness and give feedback that gets results.
3. Podcast: The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations. >> If you’re interested in more ways to manage difficult conversations, I also have a podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube