Top 10 things not to say to employees in a tight economy
March 5, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Fun stuff on the Web, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, They said what?, it's the economy - stupid
As someone in HR, do you find that other employees are trying to avoid you these days? Maybe it’s because HR is often the bearer of bad news — such as layoffs — in a tight economy.
These days, even innocent phrases uttered by HR can make employees jumpy.
So, courtesy of buzzwhack.com, here are the Top 10 things nervous employees don’t want to hear right now:
- “Can I see you in the conference room?” Just as bad: “Can we talk?” and “Gotta minute?” In all cases, initiating contact with a tap on the shoulder makes things even worse.
- “Isn’t your performance review coming up soon?” Particularly if it isn’t due for another two months.
- “We don’t look at this as a problem – but as an opportunity.” Generally delivered with an insincere Pollyanna-ish lilt.
- “I’ve always thought of us as family around here, but … ” Given the choice of laying off you or his mother, guess which he will choose?
- “You’re a great contributor, but … “ A compliment followed by a “but” is never a good thing.
- “Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option.” Generally, the next sentence contains really bad news for someone.
- “We’re going to refocus and concentrate on our core business.” That generally means refocusing on the business the company was in before it hired you.
- “We’re not planning to have layoffs, but there will be some restructuring.” Hmmmmm.
- “Due to the ongoing turmoil in the capital markets …” Any sentence that has “turmoil” and “capital” in it can’t be good.
- “They’ve asked everyone to come to the Employee Appreciation Room for a 4 p.m. meeting.”
Do you have your own suggestions for this list? Make your nominations in the Comments Box below.
Tags: bearer of bad news, layoffs, things not to say, tight economy, top 10
March 6th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Seems like bad advice.
So what do you tell people?
“I’ve got bad news, so please meet me in the conference room?”
or
“I’ve got good news, so please meet me in the conference room?”
The good news is that we are resturcturing and you are cleaning the toilets.
It’s not the economy, the turmoil in the capital markets, the core business,
its that we are hemorraging cash and need to staunch the flow.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:42 am
With us its more direct: “Be lucky you have a job, cause there nothing out there for you”
Not a good thing to hear o a Friday morning meeting!
March 6th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Angel, Wow! That really helps build moral. Your company sounds like it doesnt appreciate its employees at all.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
It might be more helpful to hear the recommended wording for these scenarios.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
This is one of the most difficult discussions for employees to have with their supervisors and for supervisors to have with their employees. As an HR manager I have a choice – “be the bearer of bad news” OR “be positive, hopeful, kind, gentle, respectful and provide as much information and help as possible”. I choose the second. In our organization we are very transparent about our budget status as soon as we know there will be a significant change. We have open discussions with employees and our bargaining units about the budget crises. We are transparent with the fact that jobs will be eliminated or reduced in hours, and we talk about the layoff process and what we will do to help employees who are affected by layoff. When we do have to have the courageous, difficult conversations with people they feel somewhat prepared. We have a conversation with them as a person, a person that has a life and family and commitments – not just as an employee. I open the conversation with, “I want to be honest and forthright with you, as I have been in the past. I am sorry to tell you that I have asked to meet with you today because your position has been listed for layoff. (take a breath – let that sink in for a moment) I understand that this is not what you want to hear today. I am very sorry.” Then I pause – I wait – I listen. “Tell me how you are feeling.” People usually tell me how they feel about this, or they cry, or they yell…then they calm down and ask “What am I going to do?” There is such dispair. Sometimes there is releif – “I knew this was coming because I’m the new kid on the block. I’m sorry you had to be the one to tell me.” (Some people actually apologize to me! They have sympathy for me, the company, their coworkers). I ask the people I meet with about their challenges and try to help them find hope in their talents – skills, knowledge, successes – and the possibilities of using those talents. I have information ready for them about benefits, possbile job opportunitities, where to look for employment. TRANSPARENCY is the key. HONESTY is critical. RESPECT for the individual is imperative. As employers we need to remember that people are hurting, and they need to leave our organizations with DIGNITY. Provide that soft spot to land and be a springboard of possibilities.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
We have used, “got a minute?”
Truthfully, there is no way to deliver bad news. It just has to be done. Before this job, I was laid of from my previous job in aerospace. I knew it was coming because the writing was on the wall. I knew it was nothing personal so I moved on.
But just this week, I had to lay off a 16 year employee. A very knowledgable employee. All I could say was that it was not personal, his position is being eliminated. This is due to restructure. He was offered a handsome severance package and he accepted it graciously. Another employee laid off was an employee of less than one year. He almost cried. I later found out that his wife is also being laid off and they will lose their house.
So what are you thinking? I know my time will come as well. And when it does, it does. There is nothing I can do about it but burning a bridge is not on my list of accomplishments. I will take it graciously as I have done so before.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Nicely said Denise. I applaud you!
March 6th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Well said Cherie. Unfortunately, your belief in treating employees being dismissed with honesty and dignity seems to be missing at many companies these days, including mine.
March 6th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Laura…I am sorry to hear that. Sometimes those that deliver the news are mortified to have to do this and don’t handle that well. Of course, there are those mean spirited individuals who thoroughly enjoy dismissing that person they had it in for.
March 6th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
HR folks are too-often put in the janitorial role of people-herding or worse-yet, undertaker to the living, but that’s the job we sign up for and if we have done so for the right reasons, we help people make that transition with their dignity intact and a shred of hope for finding a better future than if they stayed where they are. I’ve been on that end of the transaction and it hurts for a bit, but I also knew, expected and demanded that I would be better off in due time, and that is how it played-out. No amount of sugar will take the bad taste from this task, but knowing that you’re doing the best you can with what you’re given, should help you sleep better at night.
March 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Langmuir….funniest response ever. I can’t stop laughing. Thanks for brightening my day.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Employers are not friends, psychologists, or Julie Andrews-style British nannies. So I don’t particularly need a “spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.” Especially when it is the sugar, not the medicine, that leaves the ugly aftertaste – in other words, utterly hollow platitudes without a molecule of sincerity.
March 9th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Being forthright has always been best. The economy is likely no secret hopefully to anyone in your employ, so do a ’state of the business’ or “what happening now and what we’re doing about it” meeting. Bad circumstances are more troubling when employees are not sure you are aware or dealing with the situation. Face reality, explain the options or decisions, enlist the efforts of all as applicable to their skills and responsibilities.
It’s kind of like being sick, knowing you are sick, but the doc isn’t saying much. Reaction = to bad to even talk about. That method only bring worse symptoms associated with the added stress of speculations about the matter.
So shell it out there, due to present business conditions (economy) we have ‘cancer’ (hopefully management is alert enough to catch it in stage 1). Here are the options, or treatment plan. We cannot with absolute certainty know this will work, but it is the strongest option we have for overcoming the disease. Are you ready to move forward with us in tackling this? I recommend the evident reply be criteria 1 for any restructuring or layoffs. The last thing any business needs, is a deterrent to the health of the business. Much like a doc would say, you cannot continue smoking, or loose 30 pounds, etc. Shed the counterproductive quickly.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I worked in HR in a place for over 10 years. I knew downsizing was coming and chose to leave for another job with less pay before I got laid off. One of my co-workers that was left in HR (a 25 year employee) was asked by the plant manager one day shortly after I left – “you got a minute? I need to ruin your day”… THAT is how she was told. I was soooo glad I chose to leave – I would have cried for hours at just being told in that manner.
March 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Why ask how the employee is feeling about the news???
March 9th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Cherie, we try to do things the way you do. Tell the employees the truth and have material ready for them for help and we even sometimes help them with their resume. We also try to give them 2 weeks notice before their actually lay off to help them sort things out at home. Denise your right, there is no way to tell someone bad news but we can try and cushion the blow a little bit.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
“These days, even innocent phrases uttered by HR can make employees jumpy.”
Did I miss something? I thought the article was saying be careful what you say so people don’t think you are telling them bad news….not what to not say when you have bad news.
We had a 100+ staff members (out of 165) at an off-site training session last week. When we announced it someone asked us if we were getting everyone together to announce layoffs…that kind of anxiety is what this article is trying to address….I think.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Hi Kim,
In our organization, and our culture, we tend to the whole person. It is how we treat our employees in matters of performance, discipline, etc. Good times and bad, we care and engage with the whole person.
March 9th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Chris – after looking back on the article, you are right – everyone reading this is probably on pins and needles themselves and “jumped” to the wrong information even though it was not even there!!!
March 11th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
After 21 years in Human Resources, I’ve been handed the lay off notice twice. Once with ample warning and severence package and the second time, I was the first on a Monday morning two weeks after the company was sold. Everyone takes it differently depending upon where they are in life when their numbers up. Both times it was just business. Both times, all employees spent their work days on pins & needles hanging on every word of HR people, Accounting people…and upper management. Misinterpretting words, phrases and actions is something employees do routinely in our current economy and growing unemployment figures. Given that I grew up to be ‘downsized’, I can honestly say that I have never had a former laid off colleague/employee or person such as myself NOT admit in months or years ahead that it was NOT ‘the best thing that ever happened!’. One major corporation that was eventually obliterated in the late 90’s, every one of the HR people laid off lost 20 or more pounds in the 6 months after we all threw the key in and joined the ranks of the unemployed. Tread lightly HR folks….we aren’t the only ones who grew up to be downsized, at least one whole generation did!
April 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Over the last 10+ years I’ve had the unenviable position of organizing the layoff’s of hundreds of EE’s. I feel that being forthright, compassionate and ‘not beating around the bush’ about the reason for the layoff and the process which would follow have made these meetings less hurtful. I’m also fortunate to live in Oregon, which is an area where our employment offices offer Rapid Response teams who come out the day of the layoff and help in processing all of the paperwork for unemployment benefits, job searches, etc.
I was very fortunate two years ago when I had 3 months notice that I would be laying off 22 CSR’s. I worked with the RR team and obtained re-education benefits for 2 of the EE’s though a local community college and we were able to offer BETTER paying positions to the rest of the staff due to another business ramping that same month. I never would have known about this company needing qualified, loyal employees if I hadn’t worked so closely with the employment department.
I’d hope that many companies’ HR staffs are using whatever resources they have at their disposal to not only separate staff members properly but to hopefully prepare them for the next steps to come as well.