Deft downsizing
DOWNSIZING, for whatever reason, is a business reality. Profitability, productivity, strategy and the like are reasons that overarch the decision. At the same time, it is not an easier decision to make. But, you have no other choice but to live with it. You need to communicate the decision to your employees. You are sure to face resistance from the ones who would have to leave and even perhaps from the ones that would stay back.
Ensure smooth transition
Just because the decision sounds harsh, you cannot delay its communication. Share with them the rationale behind the decision. Ensure the separation process is a smooth one. Make gestures that would have a feel-good impact.
Consider the case of a BPO unit. A couple of years ago, the company decided to lay off staff. Following this, the company then chalked out a plan to ensure a smooth transition.
Announcing the decision
The company did not have to expend much effort in communicating the decision; because, from time to time, the employees were being apprised of the turbulent times the company was going through. The decision to go for downsizing, then, looked logical to the employees.
Mere announcement does not guarantee smooth implementation of the decision. The company realised this and engaged a team of professionals to implement the process. The team conducted a one-on-one discussion with all the employees who would be affected by the decision to make them aware of why the decision was being made. Further, the discussions also focussed on addressing individual concerns.
The efforts paid off, as a majority of the employees were convinced about the circumstances that forced the company to arrive at the decision.
Preparing for separation
Once the list of employees to be separated was finalised, the company made a move that seemed unprecedented. It made efforts to know the career aspirations of individuals that were being separated. This was followed by an exercise of mapping the skill sets of individuals with their career aspirations. The company found that many of these individuals required soft skills to enhance their marketability. Having found out the shortcoming, the company engaged a professional training firm to train these individuals.
Apart from honing the skills of the individuals, the training firm was entrusted with the responsibility to find them a suitable placement. At the end of the training programme, many of the individuals were either placed well in other organisations or left to pursue higher education.
The case study illustrates that downsizing, when done with a rationale and with a humane touch, will get a definite buy-in from your employees. Failure to do so would trigger resistance leading to chaos and would add to the problems of the company.
SAI GAUTAM
faqs@cnkonline.com
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Opportunities
