Dive Brief:

• Following layoffs, HR and managers should work together to ensure retained employees receive accurate information, emotional support and a clear understanding of what comes next, a Sept. 27 report from McLean & Co. advised.
• Key HR responsibilities in a post-layoff environment include: Training and supporting managers to care for retained employees; keeping retained employees well-informed with open and honest communications; and providing them with opportunities for professional development to close skills gaps, the report said.
• Just as important, HR staff and managers should remember that they are retained employees as well and are navigating their own emotions and at risk for burnout and increased stress, McLean pointed out. This means HR and managers “must prioritize taking care of their own needs in order to provide meaningful support to other retained employees,” the global HR and leadership consulting firm urged.

Dive Insight:

HR pros are familiar with critical components of retaining and engaging employees, like manager training, clear and personalized communication, and upskilling. After a layoff, these tools become particularly important for supporting retained employees, the McLean report said.

Coaching managers on how to actively listen to their direct reports — a key responsibility of managers following a layoff, according to McLean — should be a training priority, the firm said.

“Managers often have the inaccurate perception that relief or gratitude is the primary emotion experienced by retained employees,” Kelly Berte, McLean’s director of HR Research & Advisory Services, said in a statement. “In reality, all employees experience a unique set of emotions during this transitional time, requiring acknowledgment and support from both HR and managers,” Berte said.

Click for full article