Workplace Recovery: Re-energizing Organizations After Downsizing and Other Transitions
by Barry Frey, Senior HR Consultant & Certified Talent Management Consultant
Downsizings and layoffs, although necessary during tough times, have an unavoidable and predictable effect on the employees who remain with an organization. A workplace recovery plan helps the survivors move through the pain of change and accelerates their return to productivity and positive morale. In his book, Charging Back Up the Hill, Mitchell Lee Mark explains the realities and requirements of workplace recovery.
An organizational transition such as downsizing is a difficult event to manage. The usual principles of open communication and employee involvement go by the wayside. The inescapable results are lowered morale, reduced productivity and energy, and diminished effectiveness. Employees' coping mechanisms are overwhelmed and they slide into survival mode, adopting negative behaviors like spreading rumors, playing politics or blocking communications. As stress rises, positive energy declines.
Workplace recovery accepts these aspects of transition and, rather than trying to deny or work around them, works with them. Successful recovery initiatives begin with acknowledging two realities and two requirements.
The two realities of recovery are:
The two requirements of recovery are:
To weaken the pull of the old and strengthen ties to the new, workplace recovery must deal with employee's emotional realities along with the business imperatives of the situation. When leaders address both levels as equally important, employees will be able to let go of the pain of loss involved in the transition and participate in building the future success of the organization. A successful workplace recovery effort consists of four elements:
Empathy: Letting people know their leaders acknowledge that things have been difficult and will continue to be difficult for a while.
This means making is clear to employees that their leaders recognize the feelings, needs and problems of those who have gone through the downsizing and are still with the organization. It doesn't matter if leaders think employee perspectives are legitimate. What does matter is that employees get a sense that their leaders know what they have been through. Employees are not used to hearing their leaders admit that times have been tough and that the transition has taken a toll on people. Expressing genuine empathy is like hitting a reset button that helps reduce negativity and increases receptivity.
Engagement: Creating understanding of and support for the need to let go of the old and accept the new organizational reality.
Engaging employees in understanding the business imperatives and eliminating the roadblocks to achieving recovery is critical. Leaders engage people by helping them accomplish their immediate work objectives, clarifying priorities and providing resources to get the job done. Following a downsizing, there are fewer people to do work and individuals may find their roles have changed. The people who remain need to feel support from those who are in charge.
Leaders also engage people by communicating. During and following a downsize, communication should be stepped up both in frequency and in thoroughness. This isn't easy when leaders are stretched thin by the demands of running an organization in tough times. But staying in touch with employees demonstrates that leaders are genuinely aware of the stress employees are experiencing and are concerned about them.
Energy: Getting people excited about the new and future organizational direction and giving them support in achieving it.
Employees become re-energized when they understand what's in it for them to embrace the new organizational reality and they have a sense that they can succeed in it. Establishing a clear link between organizational success and personal success lowers stress and creates energy. The catalyst for energizing recovery is a clearly articulated vision for the organization's direction and a plan for meeting the challenges it faces. The vision will resonate with employees if it is brought down to an individual level that explains what is in it for them to achieve it. This means going to greater lengths than merely "communicating" the vision. It means making it real for employees.
Enforcement: Solidifying new thought processes and behaviors that are congruent with the new reality.
Enforcement simply means taking specific action steps to create the momentum and consistency necessary for shifting the culture and mindset of employees. Leaders must ensure that their communication, actions, processes and systems are aligned to send a clear message that reinforces the new business imperatives. One reason that employees have difficulty letting go of the past is that systems and processes often lag behind the messages they receive from their leaders. The more inconsistent day to day reality is with the vision the leaders have presented, the less quickly the organization will recovery. The best way to prevent this is to involve employees in problem solving. The way work gets done with less people will be different. Employees know what needs to get done, and involving them in problem solving will create ownership in solutions and give them a stake in bringing the new organizational reality to life.
Implementing the elements of workplace recovery is not necessarily a sequential process. Individual employees adapt to change on their own timetable, not in unison. The backwards pull of the old status quo and the forward push toward the new reality will always work counter to each other in constantly shifting balance. However, keeping these principles at the forefront will enable leaders to create a successful workplace recovery effort.
Barry Frey, is a Senior HR Consultant with LMA Consulting Group. He is also a Certified Talent Management Consultant. Contact Barry at 717.509.8889 or via email bfrey@lmaconsulting.cc.
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