Jason Monastra

My life and thoughts out on the web

As the economic condition continues in its turbulent rant and rave cycle, the consistent flow of layoffs seem to effect and detract from every sector without relief.  In this, I try to look for the benefits that are offered to those employees in their transition.  How do employees view their employers and how did the layoff go in terms of process and respect.

Well, to no ones surprise, least of all mine - they do not do a good job.  A recent poll suggested the following figures which are a testament of poor process and even poorer strategic planning.

• 88% of the people polled said that they would rate the process with their layoff poor or very poor
• 72% of the people polled rated the severance packages poor or very poor
• 94% of the people polled rated the outplacement services poor or very poor

Now the review went on to speak about several other factors around remaining employees morale and other factors but these three I think list a hard line truth of the short sighted view that many employers are taking in today’s market.  One of immediate cost cutting with no regard for future business and employee need.

One thing is for sure, and most people are not speaking about it - the employee pipeline in the US is getting smaller not larger and companies need to position and act accordingly.  Public companies are thinking of this weeks numbers vs. strategic planning and work force development and talent management.  Instead of laying people off since the numbers are not there, look at the projected years business and the following year, where the market is headed and better yet what your multi-billion dollar company will look like 5 yrs from now.  Executives need to head the word of the people and know that with constant layoffs come a smaller and smaller labor force to hire from when things start getting better.

Now no one is saying that layoffs never need to happen and if they do manage them well.  What we are seeing above is that the process is handled badly.  I personally only want to discuss the first bullet point of the above listed three.  The other two are very subjective since the amount of money paid in severance and outplacement will never meet the expectations of the laid off workforce no matter what is done.  But the first one is the process and I hear consistently of the horror stories of some of the poorest run programs anywhere.  A few things I notice that are consistent through the layoffs and make for a poor process are as follows:

1. Poor communication or a total lack of in most cases
2. No consistency
3. Poor management left in place

Well the major themes above are not only common but executed with no accountability nor regard for the longer term impact.  I would be interested in knowing how layoffs would be executed if the people managing the process would keep their role or lose their job based upon the exit survey of the group being ousted.  I know one thing for sure, people would be more like people and a great deal nicer dealing with the issues of the work force.

• Poor communication is the leading cause for many issues.  However it appears that there is a larger issue here that no one is pointing to.  The reason for the lack of communication comes from the executive leadership wanting to hold things close to the vest, not lose productivity during the transition, and maintain control during the process.  Hmmmmm….sorry folks does not work that way.
• Consistency.  There appears in most cases to be little reason for certian people being laid off and others kept.  People with similiar roles are left not knowing why their co worker was dismissed and the desk next to them empty.  In conjuction with no communication, they are paralyzed with the uncertain future of their role and when they might fall under the axe.
• Poor management left in place.  All the time!!  It happens everywhere I turn that the management left in most cases is the least expensive to the payroll and therefore the most in experienced or the poorest.  Not the people you need during one of the more crucial times of your company’s history.  Again, cost is the ruling factor here not thinking of the loss of talent, knowledge and increased inefficiency that will permeate through the environment for the coming years reducing your competitive advantage.

Where does this leave us?  Who knows?  Honestly the people that are in the trenches, see the people for who they are, and understand the masses either are let go or forced under fear to conform to the strategies of the people that do not know any better or choose short sighted cost cutting as the only solution.  Whether you are one or the other, or even part of the laid off work force - feel empowered or become empowered.  Things will change, the employee will once again rise to the occasion and things will get better.  It never happens as fast we like, but it will happen as history teaches.  My hope is that all of the good people are not burned by then and don’t feel like working for the corporate empires that have brought such low morale standard upon how we treat people.

National Geographic has to be one of those mags that simply amazes the young and old.  Pictures of creation, landscape, animals, and all life that inspire one to truly look at themselves and wonder who they are and what they are doing.  Being a passionate person, certain things bring about a distinct emotion within me making for a great writing.

Turtles…not something I was overly fond of when growing up.  Actually I think my mom scared me off from them circling back to bacteria and such.  In any case, as days pass and maturity keeps gaining momentum - I look at things like turtles and wonder.  Pretty amazing.  When you think about it, something that most of us should consider when working.  More of us should be turtles.

A turtle has a very solid slate of great working characteristics.  Take a look:

1. Hard outer shell.  Protects the animal from the outside world and shields it from things that would otherwise harm it (predators and the like).
2. Neck.  One of the more interesting parts of the creature…a neck that can expand and retract as an element of confidence or fear.
3. 4 legs, a formidable moving system allowing for the creature to move effectively - not too fast, not too slow - but just in time.

So lets think about this, is being a turtle so bad?  I do not think so.  Use it for us and take a look at the benefits.

1. Hard outer shell.  Well most of us need this to survive in the business world.   Unfortunately few people actually have it, although more people will claim it than should.  The ability to seperate the business from personal, offer a formidable barrier between your heart and the business at hand.  If more of us had this, business would be cleaner and less fads like change management and other people factors would need to be addressed.
2. Neck.  I love this one.  A neck is a great asset and suppose we used it like the turtle.  First, take a look and understand what you are suppossed to be doing.  Extend it out and get a better view if you need to.  However when things start flying around, and you need to get down to business and avoid the business climate - retract it and stay in your own world.  Keep it out there too long, you might get it cut off.
3. Legs.  Movement.  Time and speed is what we hear about all the time.   But speed is becoming less hype, and people are more focused on results and the steadiness of getting things done correctly the first time.  Maybe slowing down like the turtle might not be so bad if you are suffering for your speed approach.

I think the turtle has it right.  He goes at his own pace, remains available and knowledge to the outside world, and keeps a hard exterior to protect against his enemies.  Come to think of it, don’t think that the turtle ever cries either.  Hmmmm…maybe there is more to the turtle than we thought.

Ahhhh, the break time.  Well I have been on hiatus or whatever they call simply doing everything but writing.  Barely been reading any of the normal blogs I do, simply working and expanding of the footprint of the business.  Which I might add is doing very very well.  Consulting has been screaming along and our intention is to leverage that for the establishment of a more formal business development effort with centralized location penetration requirements of our employees.

In any case, glad to be back and sorry been away so long.  Look forward to reading and writing a good deal more about this business we work in.