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How To Cope With Redundancy
How To Cope With Redundancy
w to cop
pe with redund
dancy – on
o both
h sides oof the fe
ence
UK’ss Monarch’s handling of sudden reduundancies haas been dubb bed “appallin
ng”, while fo rmer staff arre strugglingg
with
h the impactss. What can leaders and employees aalike learn from this?
Queestions have mounted ovver how Mon narch’s
senior leadership team brokke the news tto staff,
with
h pilots’ unioon BALPA con ndemning the move to
requuire staff who couldn’t m make face‐to‐‐face
reduundancy meeetings to join n an hour‐lonng
confference call oon a premium m‐rate, 0844 4 number
thatt cost a total of £40 in ph
hone chargess. The
on’s general secretary Brian Strutton described
unio
the decision as, “A kick in the teeth when
[employees] aree already dow wn,” adding: “This is
unbelievably colld‐hearted … … Since [the nnews
emeerged], we’vee seen appalling treatme ent of
Mon narch staff.” It all serves to highlight the way in
whicch senior maanagement teams’ handling of
reduundancy can be mired in bureaucratic
face
elessness, wo orsening emp ployees’ shock.
Howw should senior leadershiip teams tackle redundanncies in a waay that will in
nflict as littlee trauma as ppossible? And
d
how
w should man nagers who hhave been m made redundaant make the e most effective recovery ry and get themselves back in
the ggame?
Cooper notes: “TThe underlying theme he ere is honestty. If you havve gradually built up a rellationship with your stafff
wheereby they trust what you u say and do
on’t think thaat you’re prooviding false, inaccurate oor misleadingg messages,
thenn when you ccome to makking such ann nouncementts, their pain n is your pain
n – and vice vversa. The th hreshold of
reduundancy is neever where ccommunicattion problem ms of this kind d begin and eend. On the leader’s part, there will
alreaady be a tracck record of miscommun nication and lack of trust – and I thinkk ultimately, a lack of integrity, too.
andle redunddancy in an ungracious m
Therre’s no quickk fix for manaagers who ha manner – it aall hinges upo on the
precceding, long‐‐term relatio
onship. The jo
ourney towaards that crun nch point alw
ways begins a long time b before.”
Turn
ning to what employees can do to saffeguard them mselves agaiinst the impa act of redunddancy, Cooper says: “Since
20111, our researrch has reveaaled an incre esponsibility for their ow
easing trend for individuaals to take re wn training an
nd
deve
elopment. Prreviously thee expectation n would havee been that yyour organissation wouldd put you on a developmeent
path
h that led to progression. But now – w with people typically havving more jobs in their liffetimes than previous
gene
erations did,, and underggoing more frrequent careeer transition ns – the respponsibility fo r developme ent has fallen
n
morre within the remit of thee individual.
“So that ma kes for a useeful shield ag gainst the efffects of redu
undancy: youu’re
not relying uupon the orgganisation to o look after yyour future career. You’ree
relying uponn yourself. It’s vital to sta our industry, to
ay abreast off trends in yo
keep refreshhing yourselff with meaningful CPD acctivities that can go on yo our
CV and LinkeedIn profile –– and to kee ep scanning tthe career op pportunities out
there that a re available.”
She adds: “TThat’s not to play down tthe feelings tthat workerss have – and no
doubt many of tthe Monarch h staff would have experi enced – in th he immediatte aftermathh of redundancy news. Bu ut
thatt’s where sen
nsitive outplaacement coa aching, confi dence building and CPD all play suchh crucial roless. A constantt,
com
mmitted engaagement with h your own d developmen t, whether o or not you’re facing redunndancy, is th
he best way tto
f against it. To keep acquiring new sk ills and capabilities, and to keep a waatchful eye o
prottect yourself on the sectorr in
whicch you’re wo uture‐proof yyour employability.
orking, is effeectively to fu
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