Outside of a crisis involving fatalities, perhaps a communicator’s biggest challenge is telling someone, or a group, that they are being let go for reasons that have nothing to do with them or their performance. You need to be kind and compassionate, yet still explain why your company or organization needs to take this step.
I’ve been on both sides of the table, and neither side is pleasant. In the April issue of PRSA‘s Strategies & Tactics, which focuses on employee communications, I use these experiences, along with the horrid example offered by Better.com CEO Vishal Garg, to give my tips on how to handle communicating layoffs. I suggest showing compassion, not making it about yourself, and keeping an open door to ameliorate the hurt and anger your employees are feeling. You can read the article here.