Isn't HR just plain common sense? Well, when you strip away all of the laws and regulations we have to comply with, I think it is. Let me give you an example.
My son is perhaps the most brilliant graphic artist/designer in the state of Iowa, and I say that with absolutely no bias whatsoever. He worked for a very prominent and well-known Des Moines advertising/marketing firm which will remain nameless for purposes of this example. Last Monday, all of the employees at his office were called into a meeting where various business items were discussed. A PowerPoint presentation was used. One of the PowerPoint slides was titled something like "staff changes." It was a list of nineteen employees, including him. These employees (who were there in the room, surrounded by all the other employees) were told right there and then that they no longer had jobs, and that they were to go back to their desks, gather their immediate personal belongings, leave the building, and call to make arrangements to return at a later time to collect any other personal belongings, return company property, and go over termination paperwork....
.....just like that.
I don't even know where to begin on this one. I was stunned when I heard about this. I've been involved in some tough terminations in my day where I felt really bad for the employees, but at least it always involved a private meeting with them.
OK, now do you know what I mean about HR being common sense? You have to treat people with respect and some compassion! That's common sense, right? Don't people learn the Golden Rule anymore? If you are planning a big lay off and not sure how to do it, wouldn't one of the questions you ask yourself be, "How would I want to be treated if I were being laid off?"
Do companies not realize that ex-employees are some of their strongest ambassadors in the community? ...for good or for bad. The smart companies learn how to terminate employees in a way that they part as friends.... they don't burn bridges. RSM McGladrey is a great example of this, their ex-employees are some of their best sources of customer and employee referrals.
Common sense and treating people like you would like to be treated, and like business partners, not like commodities, can go a long way in driving good human resources practices that will make your company more profitable.
Please visit our website www.yourownhrpro.com.
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I am struck dumb that a company would lay off some of it's employees in such a public and impersonal way. It's not just those employees who now have a negative story to tell, the employees who weren't laid off have a reason to question the ethics of their employer. Employer brand is the key to any companies success and the base from which customer brand grows. How motivated will the remaining employees be to go out and espouse the brand promise after going through this meeting?
ReplyDeleteWow. I teach HR. This is an example of what NOT to do. Sorry to hear this.
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ReplyDeleteThe layoff was a sad situation. However, as an employee of the company in question, I can tell you that your account of the situation differs substantially from what actually happened. Your son (who definitely is a gifted artist) was on vacation when the layoffs were announced, so he wasn't there to observe what took place. The employees who were to be laid off were called to a private room, separate from the other employees, where they were spoken to by our president and informed of the situation. They were then spoken to in smaller groups by their individual managers, while our president went on to break the news to the rest of the company in a larger meeting room. Still not an ideal situation, but a far cry from the situation as you describe it. Just trying to set the record straight, and I do wish the best for your son as well as the rest of the fine people who left us due to unavoidable economic circumstance. They are missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bryan for setting the record straight. My intent was not to bad-mouth the company. That is why I did not use names. My intent was to use this as example of not taking into consideration how actions will be perceived by the employees losing their job (and even those who are staying on). I'm glad it wasn't is bad as the story I heard, and I apoligize if I caused any harm by describing it as such.
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