Employee Layoffs Best Practices in 2020 – Part Four

Share Layoff Announcement with Compassion and Understanding

In certain instances, it is not possible, but employers initiating mass employee layoffs should not do them prior to sensitive or traditionally family oriented times, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Layoffs should be administered with kindness and heartfelt compassion. Communicating to a staff member they do not have a job is difficult for all concerned. Keep in mind employees may feel extremely hurt and totally burned when a company administers a layoff brusquely.

When you are communicating the reason for a mass layoff to an employee, be certain to give the business facts that led to the layoff. Be sure to hone in directly, several times if needed, that the layoffs are due to business facts and not

There is no way to know what an employee will do when give the negative news about losing a job, so get ready to have an open ear. Allow the employee to vent as much as is needed about their job loss unless they start bringing up retaliation for losing their job. Do not respond back. Let them vent. Stay cool and be compassionate. Kindness will payoff in the long run.

Do Layoffs on Tues., Wed., or Thurs.

If possible, lay off employees during the middle of the week, not on Monday or Friday. Tuesday is the best day to layoff employees according to experts in Human Resources.

Over the years it has been reported that employees that find out they have been laid off do not allow any more information or facts inside their thoughts. After a person is told they are laid off and they start hearing about health insurance, COBRA and severance pay, the only thing going through their mind is, “what am I supposed to do now?”

At the time of the layoff to employers it may be logical to review all aspects of being separated from the company, in many instances it is not the action to take. It is often better to complete the exit interview straight away, give the laid off staff member their employees information envelope or folder including COBRA and severance and communicate to them the information that’s included and that they should review everything in it after they leave. Company’s can of course cover all the information regarding the separation right then as well. However, since the all the information is included in the packet about their employment, they can look at it after they leave the business.

By laying off staff on Tuesdays, the company is normally open from then through Friday. After a couple of days the staff members that are laid off can reach out to the Human Resources department and ask any questions after they have settled down, they have had a chance to think about things and decide what their next best moves are after losing their job.

Provide a Severance Package if Possible

Employees that receive a severance package can handle the negative impact of being laid off much more easily. Severance packages most of the time include monies, but sometimes they offer items that do not involve money. During tougher financial times your company may not be able to provide a severance package with money, but instead the package can include other things like job search assistance.

Maintain Cobra Coverage

Another option to consider for departing employees is to provide extended COBRA payments so the employee and possibly their family can keep health insurance for an extended fixed time-period. Another option would be to offer extended disability or life insurance coverage for a fixed time-period.

When possible, offer to help cover COBRA payments for a fixed time-period so staff (and their families) can remain on the company health insurance plan. Offer to pay for continuing disability or life insurance when possible.

Staff Layoffs are Hard

One of the tougher components of operating a business is that there are good times and bad times. When times are bad unfortunately, employees sometimes must be laid off and it is one of the hardest tasks to execute when running business.

Your company staff is important and must be considered when layoffs must happen. Caring, understanding and acts of kindness can help reduce the financial strain and pain of losing a job.