Q. How can I support staff and managers going through redundancies?
A. Over the past few weeks, the retail industry has been making redundancies at an alarming rate and many retail sector workers have felt the pain of losing their job or a colleague to redundancy.
So how can managers ensure that staff who are being made redundant or who survive redundancy are sufficiently supported, as the uncertainty they are facing may cause mental and physical stress?
Reduce uncertainty
Uncertainty about the future is one of the biggest sources of stress. To reduce the impact of stress it is important that employers provide as much information to their staff as possible. Below are a few things employers should consider implementing.
Businesses should plan and implement a communication strategy to ensure clear and effective communication with its employees. They should avoid issuing mixed messages and avoid inaccurate information circulating, as this can be highly damaging and could derail the redundancy process.
Financial worries are also a major cause of stress, so businesses should consider offering staff access to financial advice to ensure they understand the financial implications arising from their redundancy.
Making services such as an employee assistance programme (EAP) available can provide much-needed practical and emotional support.
Support surviving staff
After making redundancies, many businesses experience an increased turnover among staff who have retained their jobs. This is often linked to employees’ emotional state as well as the ongoing uncertainty a major restructure can create.
To minimise staff turnover and support surviving staff, businesses should ensure there is a formal redundancy procedure is in place. If employees see the process being carried out fairly and respectfully it will help with their own wellbeing and motivation.
Company bosses should speak to remaining employees on a one-to-one basis and listen to their concerns. Be open and honest, keeping staff informed of the process, and be upfront and transparent about job security.
Businesses should also ensure that adequate training is provided where remaining workers have had a change of duties to cover redundancies or restructures.
Managers will also require support
It is important that managers remember their own needs. While looking after the needs of their staff, managers can often forget that they too are likely to need some support to help them through the changes ahead.
Managers should identify where they can get support from, whether it be from colleagues, a mentor or coach, or outside the organisation, such as an EAP provider.
David Price is managing director of Health Assured