Understanding and Supporting Staff When Making Redundancies

Taking the lead on redundancies is one of the most stressful roles you have as an HR professional, business owner or senior leader. No-one wants to be the bearer of bad news and it can be difficult to know how someone will react to the news that their job is at risk of redundancy, or how they will handle the redundancy process. This article will help you to understand how and why people may react differently, as well as giving you tips on how to support them.

Understand that people react differently to the news

It’s impossible to second guess how people will react to the news of being placed at risk of redundancy or being told they’re losing their job. Some may feel shocked, angry, or tearful. Others may be quite accepting. But some people can experience profound grief at the idea of leaving the company, especially if their career or role is a strong part of their identity.

The Kübler-Ross Change Curve is Trade Marked by the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Family Limited Partnership. It cannot be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission and licensing from the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Family Limited Partnership.

The Kübler-Ross change curve

You may be familiar with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s theory about the stages of grief, which teaches us that a person moves through different phases when faced with loss. Her model has been adopted by the business world when it was realised that what she had discovered can be applied to almost any situation when someone is faced with a big change. The Kubler-Ross Change Curve can be a helpful tool for both yourself and anyone else affected by the redundancy process, as it helps to explain and understand how staff facing redundancy may feel about and react to the news.

1. Shock

When you tell someone they’re at risk of redundancy, or that they are going to be made redundant they may be shocked or surprised. This stage doesn’t usually last for long but it can be made worse if they don’t have enough access to information. They may not be able to properly take in what you’ve told them at this point. So, try to make sure that you have written information for them to read and absorb later on when their meeting with you is over.

2. Denial

The next stage is denial and this can show up in different ways. People may try to convince themselves that the news isn’t true. Some might decide that they’ll be saved from the redundancy because the company will realise how loyal and hardworking they are, while others might think there will be a turnaround and the company won’t have to make redundancies after all.

3. Frustration

Once they’re past the denial phase, your colleague will probably begin to accept the change is happening but may feel frustrated, angry, or sceptical. Much like denial, anger is a way of protecting ourselves. This is a difficult phase to be aware of and manage, as emotions can often fly high. These feelings might be directed at the company, at the world in general or at you as the bearer of the bad news.

4. Depression

This is the lowest point on the change curve. When the anger or frustration begins to wear off, feelings of low confidence, lack of self-worth, self-esteem, and motivation, and a sense of meaningless can kick in after someone has been made redundant. Although many people move through this stage quickly, others find it harder to. This is one of the reasons it’s a good idea to make counselling available when making redundancies. This can often be offered by your EAP (Employee Assistance Provider) if you have one. However, don’t rely on people remembering that there is an EAP or counselling available; make sure you remind everyone about it. If you have concerns about a particular employee, encourage them to access the support.

5. Experiment

The next stage sees the person come out of their slump and start feeling better, with renewed energy and focus. You may find that they start to ask a lot of questions, or come forward with ideas for other roles. It’s during the experiment stage that they begin to believe things are going to be ok.

6. Decision

By the decision stage, they are feeling much more positive and decisive about accepting their change in circumstances and finding a solution for going forwards and getting their next role. Outplacement services can play a big role during the depression, experiment and decision stages. It puts the support in place to explore options, build confidence and take action on securing a new role.

7. Integration

This is the final part of the change curve; when the person has moved on and settled into life beyond their old job. It may not happen until they are in their next role, are settled and are able to look back on their experience once time has passed. If you stay in touch with employees who have left the company and celebrate their successes with them and inform their old colleagues of their progress, this can help everyone involved feel positive about the future.

It’s also worth pointing out that people move through these stages at different rates. Some may skip certain phases altogether, so bear this in mind when working with staff, but don’t take it as gospel.

Communication is key

Over-communication is almost impossible. When it comes to managing redundancy, the more information you can provide, the better. All employees will be keen to hear the news as soon as there is any.

People naturally want to fully understand:

What the process is.
How and when they can access information or ask questions.
What is happening?
What their options are.

Communication shouldn’t just be a one-way street. Not only does it help the people at risk of redundancy, the fairer you are as a business, the less likely you are to have ‘survivor syndrome’ (employees who keep their jobs but who feel angry and resentful towards the organisation).

Provide employees with outplacement support

One way to treat employees fairly and to support them properly is to offer them outplacement support. The service helps employees who face redundancy to prepare and transition into a new job through practical advice, training materials, one-to-one coaching sessions, or workshops.

You can call on external career experts, like myself and my team, to deliver outplacement support.

For example, depending on your staff’s needs, I can offer:

1:1 Career Coaching Sessions.
Career Clinics, where staff can discuss a particular career issue they’d like support with, including CV writing, job search and interview skills.
Career and Outplacement Workshops, on CV writing, LinkedIn, interview techniques, job searching, or workshops that are tailor-made to meet the topic of your choice.
1:1 Executive Coaching Sessions for the leaders and managers in your organisation who need to deliver the redundancy news to your colleagues and may be facing redundancy themself.

To find out more about my Outplacement Services, click here or get in touch to discuss how I might be able to help you.

About

Fay Wallis is a Career Coach and Executive Coach with a background in HR and Recruitment. She is the founder of Bright Sky Career Coaching, where she helps organisations with outplacement support and coaching.

Fay knows how tough working in HR can be when the organisation looks to you to take the lead on redundancies and restructures, or to grow and develop employees and support the senior leadership team. She’s created the HR Coffee Time newsletter, to share her free tips and resources on helping you navigate the challenges of your role and support the organisation you work for. Sign up below to receive it every other week.