Part Two: The Layoff will be Twittered

Following the previous post, important points to cover during a Reduction-in-Force project:

Keep Layoff Plans Offline: avoid emailing, creating, and communicating Reduction in Force (RIF) plans through company systems. I consulted after-the-fact to a company that found that a key and trusted email administrator was both reading, saving, and re-distributing – both internally and externally – all communication regarding layoff plans. Many employees fled the company prior to the formal WARN announcement due to this leak – employees that otherwise would not have been effected by the RIF. The loss of intellectual capital and the damage to the entire project was significant.

Never use Instant or Text Messaging to Discuss ANY aspect of a Restructuring Project: Transcripts of messages are saved, archived and may be reviewed. Just don’t do it, no matter how innocent you feel the message may be.

Allow Key Reorganization Team Members to Meet and Work Offsite as needed: Given the challenges associated with using internal technology to plan a restructuring project, teams need a “safe” environment to discuss and plan. Allocate resources accordingly.

Involve your CIO/CTO from the start: Prevent enterprise data leaks at the source. Oftentimes, technology teams are the last to be alerted of a project they already know is in progress, especially if you’ve been using internal technology systems to communicate planning. Your IT groups are the ones who cancel intranet portal access, email access, etc. for those departing employees. “Dumping” a time-critical task on them last minute creates resentment, and further exacerbates leaks – the longer you wait to formally communicate to key IT team members, the greater the resentment. Bring a trusted, key technology leader in to the process early.

Outplacement Consultants: When you work with us as your Outplacement Team, make sure you are providing your departing workforce with transition programs commensurate to their experience and length of tenure, are treating them with dignity and respect, and make sure you are alerted to trends regarding the mention of your company’s name and Brand – both positive and negative – quickly. The manner in which you deliver the message to transitioning workers is critically important; we will participate in all departing employee notification meetings to quickly give your transitioning workforce positive, next step guidelines that are in their best interest.

Need more information? Call us at 866-214-5445

Read Part I

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