Public sector workers are painfully aware that cutbacks in government spending will mean stream-lining their services and, in a worst case scenario, redundancies. While the government has said that savings can be made through 'natural wastage' — for example, people who plan to retire or leave their jobs — it is doubtful that this will be enough. The spectre of redundancy hangs over public sector workers, but they're not the only ones with something to fear.
Whilst we all have sympathy for those who are being made redundant, there is another group of people who have an equally daunting prospect ahead of them. It may not be as far reaching as a job loss, but they will be expected to perform an unwelcome and unpleasant task. These are the managers who will have to tell the members of their team that they are being made redundant. Delivering a redundancy notice is a thankless task. It is an emotional process and one which most people would prefer to avoid. To make it easier all round managers need to try and accomplish the task in such a way as not to add to the distress that the affected employee will feel on hearing the news.
Key pointers for those charged with this responsibility are:
1. Deliver the news early on in the interview. There is no knowing how someone will react, there may be tears, there may be anger, there may be an a refusal to accept reality. In some cases it may take some time, perhaps even days, before the news finally sinks in. None of these can be avoided, however, by dodging round the issue. It is better to deliver the news with a sympathetic but straight-forward manner, rather than making someone wait to hear their fate.
2. Don't make small talk. You will not make the situation better by trying to soften the blow with unrealistic reassurances about the state of the job market and the prospects of finding another job. The most important thing is to deliver the news, allow time for the message to sink in, and then move into counselling mode. Make sure the employee is fully apprised of what happens now and what the redundancy package comprises. If the company is offering services such as careers counselling or CV workshops, make sure they know how to access these.
3. Make sure the right person delivers the news. People delivering redundancy briefings need to have good listening skills and empathy. If someone does not have the resources to handle the process, they shouldn't be involved simply because they line-manage the person being made redundant. Senior management and HR need to plan carefully how redundancy notices are to be delivered and who will do it. It is not an easy task. And certainly not one to be dumped on someone else because you do not want to do it yourself.
At the end of the day it will never be an easy or enjoyable process but with a bit of forward-planning managers can try to make it as painless a process as possible.
