Our topic in this issue will be a continuation of our last newsletter that addressed the subject of employee terminations and how to ensure a safe process. Many of our clients are facing a restructuring process, and are facing some difficult choices. In this issue, we will discuss the implications and challenges when having to apply the process that was discussed in our last newsletter when managing a mass layoff involving many employees, often within a structured process.
As always, we would like to hear from you. Please feel free to give us your feedback or any suggestions for subjects for upcoming newsletters.
Safe Terminations (Part 2): Mass Lay-Offs
In our last newsletter, we primarily addressed the natural tendency to move too hastily, sometimes missing the opportunity to fully assess a potentially high-risk employee early enough to manage the termination safely and effectively - often in an effort to "just get them out the door and be done with it." We discussed how to slow the process down, to give yourself the time and the needed information to assess and manage any risk-related issues, both short-term and in the future. We presented our 5-step process of Pause, Confer, Assess, Call a Time-Out, and Plan.
So, how does this differ when employees are laid off "en masse?" Actually, not that much; the process is essentially the same. In this case, we have to remind ourselves that within that group of affected employees, you may have the same potentially high-risk employee, with the same potential consequences, that you would if that particular employee were separated in other circumstances. However, when companies are embarking on this kind of large-scale process, there are several factors that are generally operating that make this far more challenging for those who are responsible for the safety of the organization and its employees.
First of all, there is a tendency to overlook those who may be at risk. This occurs often enough in normal circumstances, but in these situations, we are so busy paying attention to all of the various factors and stressors inherent in this process and its profound impact on the organization, that we are less attentive to many critical details. Those "details" may include noticing and taking account of any particular individuals who could represent a potential risk, who may be concealed within those numbers.
The risk of ignoring this is no different in this situation than in an isolated, single termination event. We still have an opportunity prior to the termination to assess and manage this well - an opportunity that should not be forfeited.
Manager Communication
The first challenge is therefore being able to recognize these individuals beforehand. For that, you will need to alert and train your managers, and/or whoever is in charge of this process (and would have some sort of pre-knowledge of who is impacted), to recognize the critical signs of high-risk employees, and subsequently, to alert those who are conducting the threat assessment process. (In our next newsletter, we will discuss the primary signs that we want our managers to recognize and report.)
In order for this first step to work, those in charge of managing this need to understand that in this initial reporting, we need them to err on the side of caution and report any potential concern, large or small. Further, they need to understand that their reporting does not mean that the company is going to take some kind of dramatic action against any particular employee, just because we have some vague concerns. They need to understand that this will simply be the very beginning of a triaging process - and that no action will be taken until there is a careful and considered assessment process, that takes into account the safety needs of the managers and the entire organization. Without his understanding and confidence in the process, these managers may be reluctant to report.
Triaging and Assessment Process
Once the threat assessment team receives a report about concerns regarding a particular affected employee, they will initiate an assessment process - which will involve initially a careful and confidential gathering of any additional information that is determined to be critical to the assessment.
At some point, the team will determine whether there is enough concern to warrant a more extensive assessment process, and eventually, whether the process of terminating this particular employee should be managed differently and outside the designated protocol, due to our concerns about safety. A management plan will be devised as it would be in any high-risk termination, that will also take into account the various issues related to the restructuring process.
It will be more challenging, but if assessed and managed carefully by the organization's threat management team, a successful and safe plan can be developed that is addresses the risks presented by that particular situation.
The Impact of COVID
So, does our particular (COVID) environment impact any of this? Yes, primarily in 2 areas: 1) on the risk factors themselves and 2) in our ability to identify those risk factors.
It goes without saying that all of us are under a greater degree of stress due to this current pandemic, and this is no less true of those employees who will be losing their jobs. Statistically, more of us report a higher degree of emotional distress, worries about financial stability, substance abuse, domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, etc., along with an erosion of our usual support systems and coping resources. People generally are more vulnerable, with less support, and at greater risk.
Secondly, in environments where employees have been working more remotely, their managers may not be as aware of what these employees are experiencing and how they are doing emotionally. In other words, we may be missing the critical warning signs. The manager may occasionally ask, "How are you doing?" and the employee may respond, "Fine, thank you," and we assume that all is well. For this, we have to train our managers to be more effective in attending to their employees, and to ask the right questions when checking in on them. This is not a skill that most managers automatically have; this has to be trained. The content of this kind of training is a topic that deserves its own newsletter.
These are challenging times and not yet over. I believe that whatever course this pandemic takes, there will be continuing consequences (both direct and indirect) for a good while, and many of them unpredictable.
If we can be of any help or serve as a resource with this process, please feel free to contact us at any time. As mentioned, we will conclude this series on Safe Terminations in our next newsletter.
Marc McElhaney, Ph.D.
Director, Critical Response Associates
