What Now, What Next: Investing in Your Teams Post Layoff

We know the statistics: Layoffs surged in 2023, adjusting for rapid pandemic-era hiring. Unemployment remains low while engagement levels are falling, especially as workplaces ripple with uncertainty. HR professionals receive guidelines to structure and execute a layoff. But how do we navigate the aftermath—investing in the survivors, resetting expectations, and nurturing the culture? This discussion will explore the post-layoff landscape from three perspectives—the individual, the team, and the organization—and offer practical tips for bolstering retention and resilience. You'll develop post-layoff strategies that align what individuals, teams, and the organization need with what they can offer each other.

Outline

  • 00:00 - Introduction

Tina Robinson, founder of WorkJoy and known for her distinct voice in the HR community, introduces herself and presents the agenda of her riveting seminar. She illustrates the significance of addressing the emotional and practical needs of employees post-layoffs.

  • 05:32 - Layoffs - The Impact on Everyone Involved

Tina identifies layoffs as traumatizing events, carrying emotional weight for the employees laid-off and those remaining. She insists on the important role of HR in mitigating negative effects and fostering the healing process in organizations.

Key Quote: "Layoffs can damage the social fabric of organizations, wiping out relationships, and really damaging trust."

  • 15:22 - Employee Engagement - A Human Challenge

Engagement levels, having previously reached a record high, were impacted by recent layoffs and workplace disruptions. Tina encourages HR professionals to recognize the human challenge in maintaining engagement levels by focusing on individual needs and fostering meaningful conversations.

  • 21:45 - The Engagement Alignment Framework

Tina presents the Engagement Alignment Framework – a model that ensures alignment between what organizations can offer and individual employees' needs. This approach highlights the importance of tuning into employees' sentiments and adapting the workplace environment accordingly.

  • 35:47 - Addressing Stakeholder Needs

Layoffs affect individual employees, teams, and organizations. Tina underlines the necessity of addressing the unique needs of these stakeholders. She emphasizes three critical areas of growth: survivor's guilt management, creation of wellness resources, and reinvestment in social networks for individual employees. Key Quotes: "Teams may be facing knowledge and skills gaps as that institutional know-how walked out the door with the departing employees."

"Without trust, it's hard for teams to engage in healthy conflict."

"Organizations as entities are not immune to the effects of layoffs."

  • 47:01 - The Post-layoff Healing Process

Tina concludes her presentation by addressing the post-layoff healing process. She details the importance of HR's support in the process and provides practical tips for facilitating healing, promoting wellness, and rebuilding trust.