Staying upbeat!

It’s important to remain an employer of choice despite the downturn, according to Tim Holden. While it sounds strange, it does make sense: no one is likely to be checking out the jobs pages of companies that continue to slash staff numbers. Discover more…

Few organisations in the UK have not faced the negative side of the current economic slowdown without undertaking redundancies or some form of restructuring. During this period of uncertainty, it is vital to maintain or improve levels of employee engagement by creating an environment of stability and support. Top-performing employers strive to work in a way that promotes a positive culture which combines hitting targets through high morale.

Adapting to a new organisational structure can be challenging for employees from both an emotional and financial perspective. ‘Survivor syndrome’ is an area that we find can be overlooked by traditional outplacement processes that focus on the people leaving the organisation. It is only natural that the loss of colleagues can lead to feelings of guilt and loss, similar to losing a relative or close friend. Management should recognise that this behaviour is likely to take place and provide support to individuals who have trouble adjusting to the changes.

Do not speak ill of the dead

Forward-thinking organisations recognise that some people work for a particular employer because of the social setting involved. The lunchtime banter, the drink after work, the water cooler moment, big nights out and Christmas parties may be the difference in staying put or jumping ship to join a competitor. As work can be a place where friendships are nurtured it is important not to undervalue the work of departing employees, and we advocate the use of accolades wherever possible to avoid leaving a sour taste in the mouth. Such a negative approach can tarnish the employer brand, which can be a problem when the green shoots of recovery arrive and applicants need to be attracted from a small local pool.

Being gracious towards employees who are leaving may be a modest gesture, but can generate significant goodwill amongst the people left behind and costs nothing. Not talking negatively about leavers allows the organisation to draw upon the natural energy that comes about when positive thinking takes place. The remaining employees will see managers as adding something rather than taking away and typically will respond accordingly.

How happy are we after all?

A carefully designed employee satisfaction survey1 is a useful exercise to obtain a ‘before and after’ snapshot of the situation. These may be online or paper-based, and typically are answered on a confidential basis in order to produce honest answers without the fear of retribution. Many surveys focus on measuring levels of employee understanding of the strategy and commitment to deliver it as the key indicators of worker satisfaction. The skill in designing better surveys in our opinion is to identify additional questions that are ‘leading’ rather than ‘lagging’ indicators of satisfaction. These indicators, such as levels of pride, advocacy, loyalty, support from managers or perceptions of leaders, help to evaluate progress and will determine whether the organisation is travelling in the right direction in creating the climate that will allow meaningful engagement to flourish and spread.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

The Institute for Employment Studies’ Motivation, Wellbeing and Retention Research Network2 highlights the importance of communication during this time. Appelbaum and Donia were responsible for developing the Realistic Downsizing Preview (RDP)3 that was ‘proposed as a downsizing communication package’. The RDP seeks to gain more positive responses from employees involved in the downsizing process by providing a framework for communication before, during and after the event. This is based on promoting timely, accurate and thorough communication, with dignified and respectful treatment of all employees, regardless of their employment status. The RDP seeks to re-establish the psychological contract between surviving employees and the organisation, and due to the continuous involvement of all employees at various stages of the downsizing process, they are more likely to perceive themselves as active stakeholders.

Figure 1: the Realistic Downsizing Preview

Be an employer of choice, not an employer of last resort
The downturn means that a large number of quality individuals are now out of work, or facing a most uncertain future. Some of these potential job-seekers will consider a role that involves a lower salary and benefits than would have been considered a couple of years ago. Certain employers recognise their pulling power and are now in the fortunate position that they receive CVs, phone calls and emails on an unsolicited basis from many top-notch applicants. They may be organisations listed in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For4, they may possess Investors in People accreditation, or just be well-known in their geographic area or industry as a workplace that looks after its people.

In his book Rules of Engagement: Life-work Balance and Employee Commitment5, Mike Johnson identifies certain traits that exist in employers of choice:

• A recognised and organised formal life/work balance programme that meets needs across the business
• Professional and personal development opportunities for all
• The ability to make a contribution to the firm tied to personal responsibility
• A friendly and culturally rich environment (being with others that I can relate to) that nurtures and maximises potential
• A business that is responsible to the community as a whole

Sustain your learning and development

Continuous restructuring is likely to be here to stay, with both organisations and employees marshalling their energies towards staying productive during these most turbulent of times.

Staying upbeat can be difficult when budgets are being slashed, pay is being frozen and promotion opportunities are limited because the organisation is contracting. Financial resources are tight for everyone and creativity linked to the prevailing culture is likely to result in success.

Engagement can be maximised on a budget by careful consideration of learning & development opportunities through Train to Gain, green/sustainability initiatives, the provision of flexible working and low-cost health and wellbeing programmes. In isolation each area may not make the difference to key performance indicators such as exceptional customer service and minimal absenteeism, but put them together in a well-thought out plan and the results can be amazing.

View original article here

Back to articles page