Trauma of layoffs on survivors?
This is a my response to the question posed on a LinkedIn OD Network Discussion: Is anyone working on helping organizations deal with the trauma of layoffs on survivors?
As in many situations, what a manager does in the normal course of their job has a significant impact on their employees. I was a leader of a team of 8 people. We happened to be just completing a significant migration of our users from SharePoint 2003 to SharePoint 2007. And, our company had just been acquired by HP. Because of the acquisition, I started very early in talking with my team about the potential impact. We had no idea where we all would end up, or if any of us would survive the integration. I told my time many times over 3-4 months that they needed to keep their head in the game, and they needed to make sure they were also thinking about plan B. These were all professional men and women who had worked for our company anywhere from 12-24 years. Some didn’t want to face the reality, others embraced it.
My leadership rule has always been to be open and honest with my team members. I knew I couldn’t tell them what was happening, but I could tell them the reality of the situation and potential scenarios. And, they had to decide for themselves how they were going to deal with any of these scenarios, one of which definitely was going to be the elimination of their job. I’m experienced in team building so I used one of my team building activities of celebration. A few weeks before I knew I had to lay off half of my team, I brought everyone together for lunch outside the office. I picked a place that had an outdoor area with a fireplace. After we had lunch, we went out to the fireplace. We all sat in a circle. I gave each person 2 pieces of paper and a pencil. I told them to take one of their papers and write down everything about the company, team, job(s), experiences that were the best. Then I had them take the second piece of paper and write down the worst. We took our time and had each person talk about their best experiences. It was full of laughter, joy and tears. Then, instead of talking about the worst, I had them burn the page of worst experiences in the fireplace. As they threw their papers into the fire, I told them that just as the paper was burning and turning to dust, so they needed to take any negativity and let go of it. A couple people actually brought some items that they really wanted to burn up as a testament to what they wanted to get rid of. This ritual/ceremony helped both me and each team member have closure with their work and with their team members. When I had to lay off 4 members of the team, because they had built a strong supportive relationship, I brought all 4 into my office at once and went through the layoff process with all of them together. It was a day where many people were being let go. There was a lot of fear and negativity. The only bright spot was my team members, who already had their head in the right place to deal with the process. And, those that were left behind, while they still felt guilty, not watching their friends have to slink out of site, or be escorted out, helped them deal with their survival guilt in a much better way. In fact, after they were all escorted out of the office, they all met at a restaurant and had Margaritas.
My point in this story is to recognize that as consultants we have to start working with clients before these things happen, not after. It’s impossible to help the survivors if they haven’t had a chance for closure with their team members. I realize my situation isn’t typical. But it is for those leaders who know how to lead and how to build teams. For those leaders who truly are open and honest with their team members. This is what transparency is about. This is what it is to treat your employees like adults. I’m not saying it will be easy for every employee. One on my team had a very difficult time. But you know what, she was the first one to find a new job. And, I would like to think that her having closure, allowed her to more quickly move on to bigger and better things.
As an added note, 5 weeks later, I had to lay off the rest of my team and myself. I can definitely say that the rest of us were even more prepared than the others having gone through the process.
I truly believe that helping people understand their value throughout the year and throughout a project goes a long way in making each team member feel respected and valued. When layoffs occur, which they always will, the individual will be prepared and will know what value they provide their company and the next one.
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