These tips will help your company thrive following layoffs and downsizing activities.
- Increase company activities that will restore employee harmony, friendship, and trust. Begin to establish some new traditions as an organization following the layoffs.
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 take these actions in support of positive motivation and employee morale:
--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 philanthropic 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, decision makers, and attitude leaders or key communicators.
During and following layoffs and 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!
