Preparing to Announce Layoffs in a Virtual Meeting
By Kathryn Janicek for Harvard Business Review
Alongside meetings, job interviews, and even social events, layoffs have entered the virtual era. It was, after all, inevitable. In a recent McKinsey study, 35 percent of respondents reported that they were able to work remotely full time. Logic follows that when someone works remotely, they can be laid off remotely, too.
But this doesn’t give managers and company leaders a pass on handling the matter without sensitivity and compassion. In fact, it means the opposite. As familiar as most of us now are with platforms like Zoom and Webex, expressing emotion and reassurance on them does not come easily for many of us. This is problematic as so much is at stake when employees are being laid off.
If your team is preparing to announce layoffs virtually, calculated preparation for your executive team is critical. This isn’t just another Zoom meeting; this is an announcement that affects people’s livelihoods and the future of your organization. Not only do executives risk losing the confidence of remaining employees and other stakeholders, but they could also make headlines for heartless “Zoom firings” and face backlash on social media.
Yet, with the proper preparation, an executive can effectively and compassionately address layoffs online. Here’s how your team should prepare for and deliver the virtual announcements.
Block out rehearsal time
Layoff preparation should not be rushed. Skimming a script that has been written by a communications team is not sufficient preparation. Yet too often, this is what I see executives do. Instead, remember the elementary school mantra: practice makes perfect.
Once the announcement date is on the calendar, block out rehearsal time, ideally a few days before the announcement. Use this time to make sure the messaging is written and approved by legal several days before the announcement, and that you have ample time to review the script, make any changes, and read through it several times.
You may think you don’t need that much time to prepare — but you do need it. You must be comfortable with the material to come off as confident, calm, and trustworthy. You also need time to break down the talk into bullet points and know exactly what to convey at each point.
If you are going to read a script or use a teleprompter, you’ll need several rehearsals before audiences will trust your delivery as authentic. Alternatively, you can secure Post-It notes to your computer monitor or place a second monitor behind the camera with bullet points to stay on point. For more, click here.