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Reorganization Guidelines
Introduction
Before you begin the planning and tactical process related to reorganization and layoffs, it is of utmost importance to think about the “how” and the “why.”
Reorganizations and layoffs are done in response to reductions in work, the need to improve processes and streamline procedures, and to address budget reductions. Reorganizations and layoffs are not directed at individual employees, but rather focused on roles. Thus layoffs are not done for performance reasons.
Change by its very nature causes stress, and changes in people’s work and professional lives can cause a great deal of anxiety. As a result, communication and transparency of process is critical. You cannot over-communicate during this time. People will be seeking information, and if it does not come from you then rumors will take its place. Even if you don’t know anything new, communicate that things are proceeding as scheduled. Be open to questions and concerns. Be available to respond to them.
Remember that change takes time; this is a period when you will need to use campus resources to support your efforts. Ensure that an HR person is knowledgeable about what is going on in your unit and available to your staff to answer questions. For the best possible outcome, reorganizations and layoffs should be done in the most humanistic manner possible. Acknowledge your employees contributions to UCSF and your organization in particular. Thank them. Remaining employees will look to how you treated laid off employees. Your attitude and behavior will increase or decrease future trust levels within your work group.
Orientation to Guidelines
In times of constrained budgets, managers typically review their operations to determine organizational performance gaps and opportunities for improvement. Sometimes improvements require changes in staffing, and the following guidelines are intended to provide instructions for ensuring as smooth a transition as possible.
Managers
The guidelines for managers are divided into two sections:
- Section A is a brief introduction for those anticipating layoffs as part of major restructuring and who may be going through something like this for the first time. It highlights the planning steps which typically precede layoff decisions. There are a variety of resources available to support your analysis and decision making. Whether you are analyzing a small unit or multiple departments, this section provides an overview of the basic steps to improving operations.
- Section B addresses the implementation steps necessary when it is determined that layoffs will occur and the process is ready to begin.
- Resources: Training & Contact Information
Regardless of whether or not this is your first time initiating or managing an organizational restructuring effort, these guidelines are not a substitute for involving subject-matter experts referenced in each section. HR is your partner in achieving your organizational and operational goals.
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This section highlights the planning steps which typically precede layoff decisions. There are a variety of resources available to support your analysis and decision making. Whether you are analyzing a small unit, or multiple departments, this section provides an overview of the basic steps to improving operations.Section A: Basic Planning
Engage Stakeholders
- If you are not already working with your leadership, advise them that you are beginning planning for operational improvements.
- Plan how to communicate to your manager, internal constituents, related departments, and others about the improvement effort at its initiation and throughout each step.
- Put an analysis and planning team together that, ideally, includes:
- key department managers,
- representatives from other departments who are involved in your business processes, especially if they cross organizational lines,
- an IT support person (if your analysis involves possible systems solutions),
- your Department Human Resources Manager or HR Center Representative, and
- a “Maverick” who thinks out of the box.
Meet with key stakeholders of your unit, including your manager and your customers, to
determine their expectations for the services and programs you provide.Identify reasons for the change and how it will support and add value to the department,
control unit, and/or campus. Some factors to consider:- Build a comparison to known benchmarks and identify organizational performance gaps;
- Identify, prioritize and quantify cost reduction opportunities;
- Develop a timeframe for realization of cost reduction opportunities; and
- Articulate the reasons for change, quantitatively and qualitatively.
Review Mission & Vision
Review your unit’s mission (what you do, for whom, how).
Review your key constituents and stakeholders and their needs. Identify possible partners.
Conduct a quick external scan (what challenges and opportunities are emerging?) and internal
scan (what are your group’s current strengths and weaknesses?).
Describe your desired future or vision.
Identify goals or outcomes you need to accomplish to move toward this vision.
Update your mission to reflect what you have learned.
Analyze Current Processes
- Identify current core functions (e.g., human resources, finance, IT, student advising). List and briefly describe key business processes for each function (e.g., recruiting, travel processing, desktop support, advising on graduation requirements).
- Map each of the key business processes and identify gaps between actual vs. desired performance.
- Map and analyze each current process to determine levels of stakeholder satisfaction,
causes of problems with quality, speed, responsiveness, and
- Review unit policies to identify areas for improving efficiency, e.g., eliminating redundant approvals.
- Review how the existing staffing structures are enabling or hindering successful business processes.
- Identify relationships between department business processes and those in other units, including vertical and horizontal relationships.
- Set improvement targets based upon your review, data collected, and relevant benchmarks.
Identify opportunities to improve processes to better meet customer and stakeholder
expectations and achieve improvement targets (including total elimination, standardization,
simplification, enhanced use of technology).- Where processes cross organizational boundaries, include leaders and members of involved departments in considering opportunities to cluster services.
Redesign Processes & Structure
Restructuring is often the result of redesigning our business processes. The goals are to:
- Improve customer and stakeholder satisfaction
- Improve efficiency; e.g. eliminating redundant approvals
- Reduce cost and risk
The new processes should:
- Determine the best information flow, decision-making and communication between roles
- Identify new authorities and accountabilities
Determine if a different organizational structure is needed to support the improved business
processes, support customer needs, to meet department goals, and achieve desired outcomes.
- Do Reporting Lines need to change? – define new reporting lines with attention to:
- Clarify roles of new/existing positions
- Ensure decision-making processes and authority levels are clear
Are there new staffing needs?
- Assess the skills, knowledge, and experience of department employees including potential and readiness for new assignments.
- Consider how the changes will affect employees and plan for transitions
- New performance requirements, goals and training for existing staff
- Job requirements, goals and training for new positions
- Outplacement and Layoff strategies and coaching for managers (See Section B)
Determine whether the proposed new structure is in alignment with those in other units, vertically
and horizontally, as appropriate.
Develop an Implementation Plan
A successful implementation relies on clear governance of the change process. Your plan might
include:
- Clarifying who has the decision making authority.
- Updated description of the mission, vision, and goals of the unit. Ensure that these are in alignment with those of the larger organization.
- Timeframe and implementation plan for changing business processes, organizational roles and the organization structure if needed.
- Before and after flow charts to help clarify the transition of business processes.
- A new organization chart.
- Job descriptions for the new positions, classified by Compensation.
- Plan for filling positions in the new structure. Options include lateral reassignments as well as full recruitments for all new positions. Managers are strongly encouraged to consult with both Labor & Employee Relations and Recruitment experts regarding filling positions. Large scale restructuring may involve recruiting for all new positions and Recruitment can assist with skill assessments and developing a recruitment plan.
Resources in the Planning Stage
There are numerous resources available to help with planning changes to business processes
and the organizational structures that support them. For example, Campus Learning &
Development can help with:
- Business process analysis, process improvement designs
- Development of a strategic plan that includes the vision, mission, and goals of the unit
- Change management plans and communications strategy throughout the analysis, planning and implementation steps
- Facilitation of effective teams, including the addition of other areas of expertise as needed
Resource experts across Human Resources can assist with planning for staffing changes that
involve redefining positions, downsizing, or expanding areas of expertise.
Section B: Implementation Plan for Conducting Layoffs
- Step 1: Engage Partners
- Step 2: Develop Ongoing Communication Plan
- Step 3: Prepare for Staffing Changes
- Step 4: Develop the Business Plan
Engage Partners
As soon as it is determined that layoffs are imminent, it is important to meet with your human
resources experts. These may include:
- your department HR manager
- a Labor & Employee Relations, Compensation, and/or Recruitment representative in Central HR who will assist the department HR managers throughout the process
- a Benefits expert if you do not already have that covered by one of the people above
- Campus Learning & Development if assistance is needed with business process planning or organizational goals (see Section A)
- the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) to provide support to both management and staff
Labor & Employee Relations can help:
- Plan changes in position assignments, methods of filling new positions in the new structure, and the sequencing of actions.
- Bring in other resources as needed such as Compensation, Employment Services, Benefits, and FSAP.
Compensation & Strategic Rewards can help:
- Discuss classification options prior to selecting or finalizing specific job descriptions, which will help expedite the classification process for the restructured organization
- Understand position management, how work flow captures the nature and level of work required within the unit, and how restructuring work impacts classification levels
Learning & Development can help:
- Clarify the business goals of your reorganization, and be a sounding board for discussion of different options.
- Analyze scope of the proposed changes, define requirements, and timeframes.
Recruitment & Workforce Planning can help:
- Develop recruitment strategies to fill new positions in the new structure.
- Support the department and employees in the transition process. The Preferential Rehire Coordinator and Campus Learning & Development are available for informational meetings before or after layoff notifications. Job search strategies and layoff rights are shared at these meetings.
Develop Ongoing Communication Plan
Planning and carrying out communications will help mitigate adverse impacts to keeping employees engaged and productive in the face of organizational changes. Consider identifying a point person and a back-up for coordinating information needs for all involved and impacted.
- Identify the different groups you will need to communicate with throughout the implementation. Decide who will draft messages, the types of message delivery (inperson, emails, memos, etc.) and the timing of communication.
- Determine if creating an Intranet web site is an appropriate tool in your reorganization plan. It can help with rumor control.
- Determine if a meeting with unions is necessary. Coordinate with your Labor & Employee Relations Analyst.
- Schedule review meetings with management and Control Unit contacts.
- Develop preliminary schedule of informational meetings with staff.
- Ensure that new performance requirements are established and communicated to all staff. Regularly communicate mission, goals, purpose of new structure, service metrics, and standards for success with staff.
- Facilitate ongoing communication by remaining open to suggestions and concerns.
- Include regular meetings that will provide feedback from management, staff, and client groups.
- Continue to communicate with your employee relations representative to discuss new issues as they arise.
- Consult FSAP for assistance as needed.
- Build an effective team (also see Chapter 14, Team Building in Guide to Managing Human Resources).
- Encourage all team members to share information.
- Support brainstorming and consultation prior to decision-making where appropriate.
Note: While you are developing and implementing a Reorganization Action Plan, you should be simultaneously updating your Communication Plan—adjusting dates/timelines as needed. Visit Guide To Managing Human Resources: Chapter 13 for help on preparing a communication plan.
Prepare for Staffing Changes
Prepare a spreadsheet with the names of everyone in the current organization and their:
- Job title (with time base percentage)
- Hire date
- Seniority points, if applicable
- Personnel plan (i.e., PSS, MSP, union if represented)
- How affected by the structural changes, e.g., job is eliminated
- Anticipated layoff (indefinite, temporary, reduction in time), if applicable
- Physical location
- Gender, ethnicity, age (for evaluation of disparate impact)
- Supervisor
Prepare a spreadsheet for all new positions in the new structure with:
- Job title (with percentage)
- Personnel plan
- New supervisor
- Physical relocation
Prepare a timeline (update as needed) with dates for:
- Communicating with managers, supervisors, and staff at critical points during the restructuring
- Notifying affected employees (staff and their manager) of the intended changes
- Meeting with those affected (multiple meetings with managers and staff may be needed; consultation with those who have been through a restructuring process can be helpful)
- Executing the recruitment plan to advertise new positions or initiate reassignments (see note below)
- Date by which the new center or office must be staffed
- Progress reports on updates to the unit or department
- Initiating layoff activity if needed, including detailed transition plans for each affected employee
- Completing layoff actions if needed
- Training existing and new staff
- Identifying length of the transition period for each function
- Launching of new service(s) offerings, if applicable
Note: If you will have any “exceptions” (to the recruitment policy) you will need to plan for longer notice timelines, as well as to submit for special waiver approval from the Campus Director of Human Resources. Coordinate with your Employee Relations Consultant to set up a meeting to discuss options. The ERC will bring in other resources (Recruitment & Workforce Planning, FSAP) as needed.
Develop the Business Plan
The following is a list of tasks involved with the layoff process. Your department human
resources manager will need to address the items below:
- Contact your Labor & Employee Relations representative in central HR early to set up a planning meeting. They will assist with bringing in other resources as needed (e.g., FSAP, and Benefits). They will also coordinate the review for disparate impact. Be sure to review: http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/layoffguide/.
- Determine notice requirements (per policy and collective bargaining agreements).
- Prepare the business plan, and submit to Labor & Employee Relations for approval. The package should include request for order of seniority forms and before and after organizational charts. Seniority points will be calculated by Labor & Employee Relations.
- Establish order of potential layoffs based on seniority points, or special skills requirements (if out of seniority).
- Allocate additional time for processing out of seniority layoffs.
- Schedule layoff appointment meetings with your HR representative who will be assisting you with the meetings.
- Schedule delivery of layoff letters to individual staff; prepare script and identify who will handle the meetings.
- Send copies of layoff notices to unions as appropriate and work with Labor & Employee Relations to provide additional union notifications as necessary (e.g., notice of layoff of 5 or more employees in a layoff unit).
- Schedule meeting with the rest of the staff (following the layoffs); prepare script.
- Schedule reassignments of staff if applicable; prepare script.
If you have new positions opening at the same time:
- Send the new positions to Compensation for classification.
- Post your jobs in BrassRing.
Plan communications to external customers and stakeholders to announce the reorganization and new staffing.
Encourage those in new supervisory roles to attend courses in the Supervisory Certification Series.
Resources for Managers: Training & Contact Information
There are numerous resources available to assist managers during the layoff process. Depending on whether or not your unit is receiving services from an HR shared services center, the resources may vary, but include many of the following:
- Training for Layoffs: What to Say & How to Say It (PowerPoint)
- Job Aid: the Layoff Conversation (Word)
- Contact the appropriate Employee Relations Consultant in central HR using “Find Your HR Representative” on the Human Resources homepage
- Recruitment & Workforce Planning in central HR: 415/476-3905
- Compensation & Strategic Rewards in central HR: 415/476-3905
- Benefits & Financial Planning in central HR: 415/476-1400
- For organizational change and development, contact Learning & Development in central HR: 415/476-4841
- FSAP Services in central HR: 415/476-8279
Employees
Career Workshops
The Career Workshops were developed to encourage and enable people to take charge of their own careers. Visit the Learning Management System to register for the Career Development Workshops. Click “Career Management” under “Featured Classes for Employees.”
There are four modules, and they can each be taken independently. However, the fourth and last module requires that people have attended the first three. We encourage people to attend all the workshops for the best benefit.
If you have any questions, contact Katy Liddell at 476-0420 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Module 1:
Managing Change
Self Assessment
Module 2:
Development Plan
Resume Writing
Module 3:
Networking
Interviewing
Module 4:
Resume Critique
Interview Practice
Resources for Employees: Training & Contact Information
There are numerous resources available to assist staff during the layoff process. Depending on whether or not your unit is receiving services from an HR shared services center, the resources may vary, but include many of the following:
- You may be entitled to continue certain benefits through COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985); for more information, visit the At Your Service COBRA webpage
- Indefinite Layoff Benefits Checklist
- UCSF Career Planning Workshop: Participant Guide (PDF)
- Contact the appropriate Employee Relations Consultant in central HR using “Find Your HR Representative” on the Human Resources homepage
- Recruitment & Workforce Planning in central HR: 415/476-3905
- Compensation & Strategic Rewards in central HR: 415/476-3905
- Benefits & Financial Planning in central HR: 415/476-1400
- Learning & Development in central HR: 415/476-4841
- FSAP Services in central HR: 415/476-8279
HR Professionals
A layoff or termination of appointment is a difficult event for all. The following information packages are designed to assist you with the process: