Strayer Layoffs and Involuntary Separation in Organizations Discussion answer the two peers to the following Layoffs Have you ever been involved in a lay

Strayer Layoffs and Involuntary Separation in Organizations Discussion answer the two peers to the following

Layoffs

Have you ever been involved in a layoff or involuntarily separated from an organization, either as a manager or as an employee, or do you know someone who has had this experience? How was it handled? How could it have been managed better?

peer # 1

jpshua bert

I was not involved directly or have known someone who has been involved in a layoff. However, my current company has had two layoffs since I started (Twedt, 1). Our team found out a few hours before it happened, just to help make sure the computer security stuff was accounted for. Senior management had complained for months how the company had been economically impacted by the coronavirus, but the layoffs were still a surprise. Senior leadership had put out a townhall to the general population around their reasons for doing the layoffs, and how they would provide free healthcare for those impacted for 6 months, but nothing was mentioned around severance. The lower levels of management also had meetings around the layoffs and for people to ask questions.

It’s understandable that companies are going to have to lay off workers due to coronavirus, especially when certain industries are hit harder than others. It is counterintuitive how hard healthcare has been hit, with routine appointments being frozen for months. I am a believer in severance pay and helping people land on their feet (Welch, 2). There is currently legislation for extra unemployment pay so that should help people as well. The other thing I would stress as a manager would be to keep the top talent happy and assure them the company is stable. When layoffs occur sometimes the A players will start looking for new jobs at more stable organizations (Welch, 2). I do not know if there would be a better way to time the announcement, other than making everyone aware how hard the company was impacted by the crisis, and that possible actions might be needed.

References:

1. Steve Twedt. 2020. Highmark Health, AHN announce layoffs. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. https://www.post-gazette.com/business/healthcare-business/2020/05/21/Highmark-Health-AHN-announce-layoffs-Covid-insurance/stories/202005210157

2. Jack Welch. 2015. Winning.

peer #2

Matthew Downham

Greetings,

Involuntary Separation

As a new Army lieutenant, I showed up to my first unit and was immediately placed in charge of about thirty Soldiers. Although we spend years developing leadership skills before we reach this point, no role-playing or power-point slides really prepare you to deal with people. In the first month, I had a Soldier who was under-performing to the point that he didn’t even stay at work anymore. He would show up for all mandatory events, then leave and go back to his barracks room. His previous leadership had counseled him many times, but it was up to me to finish what they had started.

The first time I spoke to him was to let him know he was being involuntarily separated from the Army based on the previous counseling on his performance. He was not surprised but he challenged me immediately by explaining that I had not been here during the events that were cited. He felt like I had not given him a fair chance to redeem himself. I told him that I stood by my decision and ended the meeting. To say he was upset would be an understatement. He could not finish a sentence without talking about how he was being unfairly treated.

Separating from the Army takes time. It took us about three months to transition him out and for him to find a job. All the while, he would yell and complain at us every chance he got. The Soldiers that spent time with him outside of work would also tell me all about his latest gripes. Even months after he had moved on to a new job, he continued to get word back to us about his discontent.

Improvements

While this situation was on-going, I knew I could have handled it better. I did not like how it turned out, but I felt like I had to stick to my guns and make the tough decision. Reflecting on it now, I probably would have created a better plan of action that included involving others that were present during his period of poor performance and focused the conversation on how we will help him find a job that’s a better fit (1). I spent most of the time just reminding him of the things he had done wrong and why he had to go. I did not even mention what the Army was going to do for him on the way out.

The second improvement I would make is to approach the conversation with more compassion and empathy by trying to figure out why he was unhappy and focus on his future goals (2). I do not believe anyone ever asked him what his passions were and what his goals were. I found out later that he was talented at computer networking and eventually found a great job at Verizon. My boss at the time knew a manager at the Verizon service center near us. If I had taken the time to ask him, I could have made that connection and potentially reversed course and alleviated the fear that comes with transitioning from one job to another.

Matt

References:

Sara Sutton. (May 2018) Best Practices for How to Lay Off Employees. www.Inc.com
Max Altschuler. (Mar 2017) When You Have to Fire Good People. Harvard Business Review