My First Layoff And What I Learned

Our company recently made some organizational changes to brace ourselves for the anticipated economic impact.

What this fancy sentence means: we had to reduce our staff.

This was my first experience with a lay-off. To be honest, I was completely freaked out, nervous, unsure and a bit of a mess. While the cut wasn’t deep by traditional measures, our company is on the smaller side so the impact was larger.

Here is what I learned:

1. Remember: No matter how freaked out you are, no matter how much you think it sucks for you, it is not nearly as bad as actually being laid off. Never ever, ever say, “It’s bad for you, but think of how I feel!” Don’t ever invalidate the laid off employee with your own emotions. (Thanks to Guy Kawasaki- a timeless article I referenced frequently.)

2. Get organized. As I was preparing, everything else I was working on fell to the side or was put on hold. I do not suggest this working style.

3. Learn from the people who have done it before. One of the first calls I made was to my sister-in-law who has been involved in the lay-off process several times (she’s an HR Generalist). She was able to give me very helpful tips that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Not just legal tips, but emotional tips, too. You'll need some support if it's your first time.

4. Call an employment lawyer. Cover your bases and such-- make sure your releases are worded correctly and that you are providing the correct documentation.

5. Provide any support you can. A valuable stop I made? The Unemployment Office. Go so your laid off employees don’t have to. Yes, in Massachusetts you have to provide the unemployment brochure-- but go above and beyond if you're able. I talked to the Operations Director at my local office and left with armfuls of information to pass on.

6. Provide more support. I made sure our laid off employees had the contact information for our recruiter and encouraged them to join LinkedIn if they hadn’t already (Thanks USNews & PunkRockHR). If your company is financially able, there are tons of outplacement services you can use.

7. Remember the remaining staff. They need time to process. If you’ve been given notice of the lay-offs, you’ve probably had many more days to process the impact. Encouraging our employees to hop on LinkedIn and leave their personal recommendations was one way to help them process. In a software company, I think this was particularly useful-- easier and more immediate than a letter. Survivor's guilt stinks-- don't be afraid to acknowledge it.

8. I cannot stress #1 enough. This doesn’t mean you should walk around constantly feeling guilty, but it does mean that you shouldn’t moan and wail about how awful it was for you. Awful is always relative.

9. Brace yourself for a little negativity. If you're a self-described Polly Positive like me, this is especially difficult. Not everyone in your company is going to see this as a step in the right direction, regardless of how much reassurance you provide. Most likely they are scared and nervous about their own jobs. Expect people to be updating their resumes. Wouldn’t you?

10. Its temporary. When the economy turns, this will hopefully be a blip in your company's history. Find the balance between constantly dwelling on it and forgetting it completely.