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In the immediate aftermath of layoffs, there are a few things that those in leadership must acknowledge about the layoffs, in order to preserve their humility and self awareness.
- Acknowledge that this decision was a tough one and the immediate results of it suck. If you don’t acknowledge how terrible this is, employees are left wondering if you get how destructive layoffs feel.
- Acknowledge your role in the decision to layoff employees. Passing the buck is not an option for real leaders. As a team, you must own those decisions and express confidence that though they were difficult to make, they will leave the company in a better position to stabilize itself and exist for years to come. Don’t blame it on the board, or the industry, or anything else. While those factors may have impacted the way your company was thriving, the decision was up to you and your team.
- Acknowledge the institutional damage these layoffs will have. Layoffs often feel like a corporate trauma. This shared experience often lingers for several years as remaining employees find themselves fearful, unsure, and untrusting of the leadership team and its decisions. Layoffs are a big event in a company’s history. They are remembered for years to come, and leave their mark on each employee’s experience of a company. Demonstrate your leadership by acknowledging that you know these layoffs will have lasting impacts on the team. You will seem less shortsighted and someone who will carry the company through a difficult evolution.
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