Layoffs and Communication: What NOT to Do
By Nicole Schuman for PRNEWS
With talk everywhere of a possible recession and economic instability around the globe, corporate layoff announcements seem more prevalent. Several days ago, Ford confirmed cutting 3,000 jobs. Apple laid off around 100 recruiters as it prepared for a hiring slowdown. Wayfair reported a loss of 870 jobs as it reacts to declining sales.
Even as the common adage seems to be “no one wants to work anymore” as many retail and hospitality sectors suffer from understaffing, many corporate entities anticipate staff cuts. According to a recent survey by PwC, “50% of firms are anticipating a reduction in overall headcount, while 52% foresee instituting a hiring freeze.”
How a company handles the communications of a layoff can have an impact not only on the current workforce and future employees, but its overall reputation as well. And many companies are not so well handling layoffs. Leaders claim they believe in transparency and empathy, but they aren’t always showing it.
Take the story of Braden Wallake, the 32-year-old CEO of HyperSocial. He went viral after posting a picture of himself crying on LinkedIn after firing several employees. The public did not embrace Wallake’s distress as he probably had hoped. This is only one of many ways communicating layoffs can go terribly wrong.
For more, click here.