Are you in this to be liked?
Have you asked yourself how well you managed the cost reduction exercises in your business this year?
This recession has cut deeper and lasted longer than most of us ever expected, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait for it to be over to be liked.
Most leaders in this market have been through recession and subsequent headcount reductions several times. Many will admit that managing redundancies is the toughest thing that they have had to do in their careers.
Certain managers still adopt the “I am not here to be liked” ethos, as a badge of honour.
But before you proudly pin the badge you might want to consider the most recent research around leadership and the characteristics that make a great leader. It suggest that likeability is paramount.
There is still a sole focus on the ‘process’ in some companies. UK employment law doesn’t help with several mandatory steps that need to be taken, often preventing the ‘adult conversation’ which is often respected by many.
Managers admit themselves they struggle to know what to say, when to say it and how open that they should be about what might be around the corner. HR teams are being challenged about being non responsive, they in turn suggest that business leaders are refusing to make tough decisions. It seems unclear where the accountability lies.
While the accountability is up for debate, the repercussions are crystal clear.
So we went out and spoke to the people at the heart of this downturn – the people being let go.
Apart from a few ‘decent pay offs’ and others finding alternative work fairly quickly, the feedback provides us with some real lessons.
Here’s what they said.
Avoiding Redundancy Payments: An employee being told he was not being made redundant but instead being transferred to Kazakhstan is not always the ‘Hail Mary’ he needs even in this marketplace.
A lack of career support: Many understood the reasons for being released but did wonder why very few were given any help whatsoever to find other work when outplacement and career transition can cost hardly anything in the grand scale of things.
A bolt out of the blue: Being marched into an office and told you are leaving today, despite your 10 years service and impeccable work history still is very much alive even in 2015. The townhall meetings that lead to being placed ‘at risk’ an hour after first hearing of the company’s challenges does not give people time to deal with what’s happening and the potential consequences.
Corridor conversations: Senior managers with knowledge say discussions are taking place by others in an attempt to get rid of them; including the one example when the manager heard the discussion at the end of a meeting when they thought he had left.
Inconsistency breeds contempt: The employee who is offered statutory notice pay, who then accompanies a friend to their meeting where the colleague is offered considerably morewill not make for smooth sailing .
Employees can only be a ‘representative’ if they have information: Management see the discharging of their duties as a sound way to have other people managing bad news.
Our company brands are not about our logos or websites. Our staff set our brand. The way they talk to their friends about us in the pub at the weekend, the positive or negative experiences that they share about the company all help build or break a brand.
As leaders of businesses in the north-east we should be very much concerned now about hiring in the future. Poor employer brands can take a lot more than time to transform themselves.
These issues are potentially caused by the fact that people just do not want to have these conversations butno one wants silence when they know all too well that there is an issue.
Take time to understand just how these processes are being managed in your business. It’s natural to want to stay away from it. It’s emotive, it’s conflict and it’s not particularly enjoyable for anyone. The way you treat your people on the way out of your business is as equally if not more important than the way you treat your staff on the way in.
Above all, be consistent, be open and transparent. Lock your managers in a room until you all have the same answers agreed to at least 90% of the questions you are going to be asked. Script sessions for consistency so everyone gets the same message. Give people time and as many meetings as they need until every one of their questions has been answered.
Strong leaders are emotional about the cost reduction that they have managed this year, particularly headcount reduction. Openness and maintaining dignity are important to them.
Others have talked about bringing ‘love into the room’ and acknowledge that the staff had done ‘nothing wrong’. This is not about ‘dead wood’ and poor performers.
So ask yourself –are you in this to be liked?
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