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I had heard countless horror stories involving the abrupt,
heartless manner in which employees were coldly advised
their employment is terminated. A security guard
accompanying them to retrieve their personal possessions,
then escorting them from the building. I was determined to
find a better way.
Our company??™s layoffs were in the planning stage for
months. Then, on January 11, 1990, the media got hold of a
story that over 600 full-time employees would be released a
few days later. My store was in turmoil. I called a
meeting of the 27-member management group to discuss the
situation.
Most of us had worked closely together as a team for three
years. These were my friends. They wanted to know how I
intended to handle the logistics of the process, scheduled
to commence at 10:00 a.m., four days later.
The need for support
A corporate directive instructed the Store Managers to
handle all details of the entire transaction for each
departing employee. Nonsense!
My intention was to appoint a supporter to assist each
individual who would be leaving us. Only I knew that eleven
members of this management group would soon be losing their
jobs. Plus eleven other full-time staff members.
After our discussion, we all understood the supporter??™s
role. But none of them knew whether they would be a
supporter or a supportee.
I did not sleep well the night of January 14. At 4:00 a.m.
on the 15th, I was wide awake, watching a televised re-run
of Hill Street Blues.
Long before 10:00 a.m., the management team assembled around
a single block of tables in the staff cafeteria, closed to
other employees for this occasion. Each has a copy of the
pertinent document:
SUPPORT ROLE
To-day you are being requested to assist in a matter that
goes beyond the normal requirements of the job. You are
asked to provide support and assistance to someone whose
employment has been terminated.
Regardless of how much these developments may have been
anticipated, and regardless of the fact that it may be a
welcome relief to some people, it will undoubtedly be a
traumatic development.
The main support will involve companionship and a
willingness to listen. The person concerned will doubtless
need to talk. The staff lunchroom will temporarily be
closed to staff, and drinks and muffins will be available on
a no-charge basis. In addition there will be available
space provided in the following locations . . .
Some individuals may wish to spend time with you in private,
others may return to the group in the lunchroom. There will
also be various practical matters to take care of . . .
Perhaps you would make follow-up telephone calls this
evening and in a few days to enquire about the welfare of
the person concerned.
Thank you.
Implementing the plan
At the designated hour, I explain additional details to the
group. Then I ask Sandra to accompany me to a nearby
office. She is staying. She must rapidly peruse the list
of those who will be leaving, along with the designated
supporter in each case. I will need her assistance.
I will escort the first person to this office. Sandra will
then notify the designated supporter that they are staying,
and ask them to wait outside the office, where I am spending
a few minutes with the one who will be leaving.
Once I turn that individual over to this supporter, Sandy
will send the next person on the list to me. She will then
notify the one invited to provide support.
The entire process is completed in little over an hour.
More often than not, it is the supporter who is most upset.
They experience relief, along with guilt that they are among
the survivors, and grief over losing a valued associate. At
times, my arms are around two of them at the same time.
Without exception, every departing employee ends up back
with the group in the lunchroom. This is a team project
from beginning to end.
But we are not finished yet. We now have to repeat the
process with the eleven other full-time staff members.
Another hour.
Then comes the time for me to walk around the store, making
it clear the process is completed. More upset employees
need comfort and reassurance.
In other stores, where the corporate directive is followed,
where the Store Manager acts alone, the process drags
painfully on until late in the afternoon.
Personal satisfaction
That night, I slept soundly. When your heart knows you have
done your best, it is at liberty to rest easily.
This had been the most important task I had undertaken in my
entire career. Among my most treasured possessions are
cards and letters received from various friends whose
employment I terminated on that occasion.
And occasionally I receive a heart-warming reminder that the
unusual manner in which I handled that traumatic episode, on
that cold, wintry day in 1990, is still appreciated.
Philip
Jones is a motivational speaker and author based in Calgary,
Canada. E-mail:
philip-jones@shaw.ca. This article is an extract
from his book, How to Fit a Heart Attack into Your Busy
Schedule! Humor, Wit and Wisdom For a Healthier Heart and a
Happier Life. Available at www.amazon.com, www.walmart.com
and
www.filbertpublishing.com/heart.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May you be blessed today
Bob Johnston
Editor / Publisher
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