Human Resources Management
...ribution to the business will be rewarded in future. These responses may easily threaten business performance. Survivors of downsizing can become unduly risk averse and narrowly focused, and therefore less creative and open to change. A number of ‘risk factors’ were identified as indicating circumstances in which downsizing was most likely to hit morale. They included: • Failure to convince the workforce that job reductions were necessary • Apparent lack of clarity or unfairness in deciding on individual redundancies • Lack of care over redundant staff • Lack of alternative career development options if promotion becomes unlikely • Changes which leave survivors unclear of what is expected of them, or how they will acquire the new skills they may need • Managers who are unwilling or unable to provide adequate time and support to individuals. Survivors are affected as they do not fare well in their performance levels and make themselves more anxious for the future . moreover the workplace no longer deems feed suddenly , for the people do not know how to things done as they may be required to do multitasking .with increased workload which creates a confusion in their job profile . it also reduces employees confidence in the management and in effect the company profile which is looked upon with suspicion . a major fallout of this leads to lack of initiative and sincerity on the part of the employees. There is a great psychological impact on the employees which may manifest itself in the form of “shock, fear, anxiety, low self esteem, apprehensions for the future, stress followed by a spate of negative thoughts.” In extreme cases it may lead to depression , paranoia, high blood pressure and insomnia. In cases where one looks out for other job avenues ,”one may suffer from lack of self confidence and low productivity.” Suggestions for making downsizing effective In addition to the four key areas suggested thus far, take these additional steps, as an organization, to rally your survivors. • Reinforce daily. in a positive, mind and heart-stirring way, the vision, mission, and excitement of moving forward with the organization. • Emphasize the positive goals that you can accomplish this year together. Make certain that the goals cascade through the organization so people feel strategically connected to the overall strategy and direction. Review the goals publicly, on an established schedule, so people feel part of something bigger than their work unit. Review the goals and progress within work units as well. This helps people focus on progress and the future. • Provide rewards and recognition wherever you feel you can legitimately do so. Be creative and have fun with these. • Continue to hold expected events, sponsorships, and programs that people have come to count on from the company. Keep the familiar meeting structures unless the group decides to change them. Do not cancel expected forums because everyone is too busy or you feel there is a lack of interest. They become even more important during times of change. One client cancelled their summer company picnic because it was too close to the downsizing. I would have recommended moving the picnic a few weeks, but holding the picnic was important. Having some things not change can provide stability in the midst of a downsizing. It also sends the message that life at work does move on. • Increase company activities that will restore employee harmony, friendship, and trust. Begin to establish some new traditions as an organization. As an example, form a Spirit/ Smile/ Energizing Team, a team of employees to create random, yet regularly scheduled, activities. Give the team a budget and get out of the way! I've known teams to create a secret holiday pal gift-giving; schedule lunch and learn book discussions or presentations on topics people care about; hold ice cream socials; compete for the best decorated holiday windows; serve hot chocolate/cider/doughnuts on fall days, and give away a pumpkin to each employee; create awards for attendance, service, and contribution; and do social action work such as adopting a needy family for the holidays. Only staff imagination limits the possible ideas for new traditions within your organization. • Consciously foster creativity and innovation. You have so much to do with fewer resources! Think about instituting “share” sessions at which people demonstrate their innovative ideas from which others can learn. Hold Kaizen (continuous improvement) or business process improvement sessions around certain operations or processes. • Design “what if” scenarios into the current business plans. These can take into consideration the best thinking of the new team as well as create contingency plans for various possibilities. Business plans do not function any more as they perhaps did, even ten years ago; now they must be viable, flexible, constantly changing documents. • Finally, to re-emphasize, people must feel as if you know what you are doing, even when you feel battered yourself. A positive, optimistic outlook must be demonstrated by key leaders, decisionmakers, and attitude leaders or key communicators. During and following a downsizing, focus on interactive, visible leadership that re-emphasizes vision, mission, values, and goals. Foster open communication and emphasize actions that increase your organization's competitiveness. Pay attention to the initiatives described here, and you'll jump start your opportunity to soar beyond even your wildest dreams! I wish you great success on your flight! Interventions to build morale It is difficult to target interventions with any precision to influence morale. However, the participating organisations identified several broad kinds of action which they saw as particularly relevant. Communicating with employees during downsizing is vital. Conveying the reasons for such a painful change is central. Employees need to understand the business reason for reducing headcount, and how the change will be managed. Breaks in communication are seen as sinister, and lead to rumours. Attempts to deny the reality of the painful aspects of the change are seen as insensitive. So communication has to be honest in dealing with the negative feelings of employees. It is important to communicate throughout the period of change, not just at the beginning. Giving direct su...