How to improve communication with employees during periods of change

Redundancy is often used as a last resort by companies that are struggling financially; restructuring their business is often necessary in order to succeed. With this change, those involved can often find it difficult to cope. It is not only those employees who you must let go who suffer, but also those who remain and as an employer, it is up to you to see that both parties receive the support they need. That’s where outplacement providers such as Renovo can help. Our outplacement services can provide employees who have been made redundant with the help and guidance they need to move forward, leaving you to focus on your remaining staff members and the future of your business. Communication is key during periods of change, so here are some tips and ideas to help improve communication in future.

Don’t forget your survivors

If you’re considering outplacement then you’ve presumably chosen to focus some of your attention on your departing employees. This is certainly commendable, but employees who remain with the business following redundancy

will need your attention just as much.  They may be worried about whether there are further redundancies and may even consider leaving on their own terms.  To retain the employees you have left, ensuring they remain focused on their work, communicate clearly why redundancies are necessary. Ensure they can trust you when you tell them that they are safe in their positions within the company.

Be honest and clear

There are laws that state you must give those you are making redundant clear and suitable reasons why they have been selected. It is also important to communicate the reasons for change with your entire staff base. There’s no point hiding anything from them; if you want to be able to work as a team and rely on their hard work and support to help your company through redundancy, you’ll need to be honest and explain clearly why you have to make these changes. It might be that after redundancy you need to restructure the business, moving various employees into different roles, so you must explain your reasons clearly and let them know in advance if you can so that they have time to take stock of their situation and the information you’ve shared.

Include them in your decision-making

If you want your employees to feel valued, then you should include them in the decision-making process. During consultations with the candidates who have been placed at risk, you should always ask for their advice and provide them with the opportunity to make alternative suggestions. You might find that you have several volunteers for redundancy, or that some of your employees might be happy reducing their hours and taking a pay cut instead. If you don’t communicate with them, you’ll never know.

Ensure communication is ongoing

Whilst communicating to all employees is crucial prior to any changes being confirmed, it’s also very important that communication is ongoing throughout the transitional period and beyond. Suddenly going quiet and refusing to speak to your employees when they approach you will only encourage them to become concerned. This could lead to risks in terms of both productivity and engagement. Organising weekly meetings with your remaining colleagues to keep them up-to-date will reassure them that should they have any concerns they can speak to you about them. Whilst the employees you have made redundant will have the support of their outplacement provider and personal career coach your remaining employees will potentially only have you for immediate support and guidance.

For more information on how to communicate redundancy, you might be interested in our 10 step Guide which you can download here.

By Luke Mersey, Head of Business Development, Renovo