Punk Rock Human Resources » layoff

Gen X & Layoffs

Laurie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:15:25 +0000

Karen McCullough reminds us that Generation X was the first generation whose parents were laid off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Punk Rock HR Secrets: Job Loss II

Laurie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:39:32 +0000

Louise Fletcher wrote a really interesting comment on my blog — and she elaborates on how people are selected for layoffs. This is good for you guys to know.

While I agree with your point that often jobs are eliminated not people, it

Punk Rock HR Secrets: Job Loss

Laurie — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:39:48 +0000

I’ve been asked to elaborate on how & why people are chosen for layoffs — and how readers can avoid being selected for elimination. I wish I had a simple answer, but there is no single process that determines how Americans are laid off.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: jobs are eliminated — not people.

Most companies look at their workforce by roles, not by people. Organizations determine which roles will be needed in the future and make tough employment decisions accordingly. This is why talented and innovative people are laid off on a regular basis while chumps and nimrods are retained. In order to avoid accusations of discrimination and bias, most companies will look at the job and try to avoid eliminating a specific person.

That being said, companies will try to find a way to fire assholes during these layoffs. It’s called ‘cleaning house’ or ‘taking out the trash’. The company recognizes that it made a poor hiring decision, and instead of trying to address the performance issue, it will lay the employee off.

You can be pretty sure that you’ll lose your job if you are an asshole (or your boss thinks you’re an asshole).

Feel better? Feel worse? The most important point to remember: you control your behaviors, not your fate. If you want to control your employment status, it’s time to start thinking about how you can opt-out of Corporate America and turn your passions & skills into your own company.

The Gawker Layoff Tipline

Laurie — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:30:33 +0000

I’m reprinting the job-layoff tipline from Gawker because it’s just a brilliant idea, yo.

Starbucks & HR Communications

Laurie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:12:39 +0000

Perrik sent me a list of the Starbucks store closures because she’s a) awesome and b) concerned about my impending relocation. Perrik just gets me. She understands that my search for a new home in North Carolina is dependent upon the home’s proximity to a local Starbucks store.

Additionally, I love the touchy-feely letter that was published with the closure list.

As we announced on July 1, 2008, Starbucks will close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. beginning this month and continuing through the first half of FY09. Partners in the stores listed below have been personally notified that their store has been slated to close during this timeframe.

In the spirit of transparency with our partners, customers and communities, we have provided the full list of stores below for general information purposes. Store partners will receive advance notice and more details from their leadership team once a specific closure date has been confirmed. After specific closure dates have been communicated to all affected partners, we will continue to update the confirmed store list at http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=880.

Full List of U.S. Store Closures

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/USStoreClosureInfo.pdf

This list is provided solely for general information purposes, and does not create any obligation or commitment by Starbucks Coffee Company with respect to the closure of any particular store. This list is based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information. Actual store closures may differ depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks related to finalization of third party agreements, expected costs savings, income tax and other benefits associated with the store closures in the anticipated time frame, if at all. Starbucks undertakes no obligation to notify third parties of such changes.

Ah, memories.

How many HR practitioners and lawyers does it take to write a statement like this? The answer is simple: too many.

I’ve written a ton of heartfelt, pro-transparency layoff notices — and it’s an absurd task, yo. The behind-the-scenes process of writing this type of communication document makes the phrase ‘stakeholder management’ seem quaint. It’s not stakeholder management. It’s bullshit.

To write a 250-word statement about impending layoffs, I had to navigate through

a core team of HR Directors and HR Communications consultants who would co-author the first draft
several HR VPs who would review the draft and make notes and provide feedback
the employment law group — who never signed off easily because they seem to know more about employment law than practicing HR Generalists
the SVP of HR who had to own it
the Executive Leadership Team of a company (COO, President, General Counsel, Chief Auditor, etc.) who had to approve it and endorse it to the CEO/Board of Directors.

The process is a clusterfuck — and it should be easier each time because there are templates and lessons learned and tookits and SWOT teams that are staffed with overpriced consultants who analyze our HR department’s performance during the process. Unfortunately, HR reinvents the wheel every time we have to create a job loss notification.

Ugh. My heart goes out to the HR leader at Starbucks who had to corral the “stakeholders” and own this document from conception to publication. Oy. What a job!

Layoffs: UR DOIN IT WRONG

Laurie — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:20:02 +0000

In my former life as a Human Resources Manager, I worked for a large insurance company. I was the regional HR Manager for the mergers & acquisitions division. After 9/11, the layoffs began. The acquired companies were divested; everyone who was assimilated into our company (& our culture) was given a severance package or sent to work for another company (without their consent & without severance).

At the end of my tenure, there was nothing left of the M&A division except ugly P&L statements.

Then I went to work for a large pharmaceutical company. My first day on the job consisted of two important meetings: my employee orientation (where I learned about my health insurance) and a lunch & learn session with other HR Generalists to discuss the processes by which my company was laying off its employees.

It’s not an overstatement to say that I’ve been involved in thousands of employee layoffs since 2001. I’m not good at delivering bad news, but I’m very good at coaching managers on how to deliver bad news. My role in the planning and preparation of layoffs is all logistical: I’ve learned how to prepare for the worst, identify red flags, and coach the managers on how to communicate the job loss notification in a clear, simple and efficient manner.

Most employees hear about 30% of the message when you tell them that they’re losing their jobs (& that number might be optimistic). They hear the basic information and an internal conversation begins.

How will I tell my spouse?
What about my health insurance?
Oh. My. God. Why?

To that end, the best thing I can do as a Human Resources professional is prepare, prepare, prepare and recognize that my preparation is more for the benefit of the company (to avoid risk) and the manager (who is often ill-prepared to share this news). I’m there — physically — during the job loss notification to provide resources and information for the affected colleague, but I’m also there to provide support for the poor sucker people manager who has to communicate this shitty news.

It was interesting to read Rachel’s blog on the recent news of layoffs at a company that does business with her own organization. No one from the other company called Rachel (or anyone in the HR department) to discuss the openings or future job opportunities that might be a good fit for the affected employees. I’ve never called a competitor or another company to find jobs for employees; however, I’m always sure to go above and beyond the script. I demonstrate genuine empathy, which is something that is often lacking from most employers and Career Transition providers.

I’m a big believer that layoffs are a statement of failure by an employer — and it’s a failure of Human Resources. As part of the management team, HR often fails to proactively recognize an unfavorable business climate or market conditions. We don’t have a strong enough voice or deep enough knowledge to realize that our company’s overall business plan is incompatible with a staffing plan. To that end, many people in HR are reactively filling requisitions and not stopping the insanity and trying to link a workforce planning statetey with the overall business needs

I’m not an employee advocate, but I’m an advocate of good business practices & common sense. It’s not enough for me to feel good about a company that writes big severance checks and provides career transition services. There has to be a lesson learned from layoffs — and I want my company to make a thoughtful commitment to do things differently in the future.

I’ve learned so many lessons since 9/11 and have a better understanding of the employment lifecycle. If Human Resources is more interested in the event-planning of a layoff instead of the hard work of preventing future layoffs, we are doing something wrong.