From the Experts: Generosity During Times of Change

In this week’s episode of America Back to Work, S2Verify co-founder and chief strategy officer, Arnette Heintze, sat down with Massella Dukuly, to discuss how HR leaders can better manage their workforces through times of change (especially through layoffs). 

Dukuly is head of workplace strategy and innovation at Charter, a media services company that aims to transform the workplace. She has trained over 10,000 leaders at startups and global enterprises, including Squarespace and the New York Times, and has an MBA with a focus on Leadership and Organizational Change. Her areas of expertise include talent development, employee engagement, optimizing CX team performance, and helping teams scale effectively.

In the first few minutes of the episode, Dukuly jokes with Heintze about the popular TV show, Succession, and warns against the ways in which the characters on the show handle layoffs and other major organizational changes, before sharing her top two tips for how HR pros can better handle layoffs. 

First, Dukuly recommends that you look for areas where you can be generous during layoffs. After all, layoffs are simply one part of the employee cycle, and many laid-off employees might be people you want to come back when financial futures are more certain. Plus, even if you don’t want them to come back, you do want them to have positive things to say about you after they leave.

Consider areas where you can stretch it a little to do the right thing. The most effective way to do that? Find the money to keep talented people onboard. Beyond just being good at their jobs, “talented people” might also look like those with deep institutional knowledge or who act as a resource for others to learn from. 

If you don’t have the money to keep people in their jobs, consider delaying the day of layoffs so that employees can keep the healthcare they need for their families a little longer or be generous with severance. 

Second, Dukuly recommends spending a lot of time strategizing around communications to ensure that the messaging lands right with all employees–those laid off and those that will stay on. Otherwise, your botched messaging might end up on the news. 

Some think that the best approach to layoff communications is to remove all emotion from the messaging, but Dukuly disagrees. She believes that layoff messaging should be authentic, with some acknowledgment of responsibility and accountability. 

According to Dukuly, you can’t simply blame the economy for things going south. Employees need to hear you say, “I had some part in this,”  to really believe you. 

And, don’t forget about the teams and employees that are left after layoffs–they also need a clear communication strategy to help them get through the emotional rollercoaster of big change to get back on track. Acknowledging that “this is hard” and “we are here to support you through this change” can go a long way. 

For more expert tips on managing through change, click here to listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts. 

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