Communicating to Employees
Notifying the Employee of Layoff
Notifying an employee that s/he has been designated for a layoff is difficult. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, and no one likes to receive it. Yet, it is part of the responsibility of a supervisor to give bad as well as good news.
The purpose of this section is to assist the supervisor (who will be called a “notifier” in the following pages) who is responsible for conducting the notification meeting with the employee. The focus will be on how to prepare for the notification meeting. The process will be broken down into its basic steps. These steps have worked well for other supervisors because the approach is logical and sensitive, and the steps are brief and final.
The objectives of the notification meeting are:
- To communicate clearly that this organizational decision is irrevocable.
- To provide the facts behind the decision in a clear and straightforward way.
- To encourage the employee to start thinking immediately about his or her future.
The Role of the Notifier
Understanding your role as a notifier is critical. The notifier can expect reactions from the employee that could range from quiet shock to explicitly expressed anger. These expressions of feeling are normal and to be expected under the circumstances. However, the notifier’s skill in conducting the meeting can minimize negative reactions by assisting the employee to focus immediately on what comes next.
Some techniques for managing the meeting more successfully include the following:
- Be compassionate and show sincere understanding, but maintain focus on the message to be communicated.
- Clearly state what is happening, without being rude or curt to the employee.
- Listen carefully to the employee’s response, but do not let the meeting drag on.
- Be sure you communicate that you support the layoff decision. Do not blame the decision on a higher authority, and do not confuse the employee with personal opinions regarding the validity of the layoff decision.
- Provide the employee with clear guidance to available resources by providing the “Employee’s Guide to Layoff”.