Making a Layoff Decision

Advanced layoff planning minimizes the chances of litigation, reduces the negative impacts on employees, decreases company disruptions, and ensures that employees do not lose the trust, respect, and goodwill that they felt towards the company before the layoff (Pfadenhauer, 2009, p. 94). One of the most important steps in a company layoff is deciding selection criteria for the persons to be laid off. The most simple and clear cut method is usually seniority, which is the least likely to result in discrimination claims.

This is the method most demonstrated in this case as these employees have the least seniority. All communications concerning the layoffs must be handled by human resources experts, legal experts, or marketing and communication experts.It is the company’s responsibility to assist the two laid-off employees in that they avoid feeling demoralized and pushed aside by a company they have likely been loyal to and good employees for a length of time. Top management must provide clear explanations of the layoffs to the employees, and those laid off need an explanation of the procedure and benefits they will receive.

Often there is a severance package involved in large company layoffs (Ritchey and Turner, 2001, p. 35). Survivors of a company layoff often need a lot of information during this time of great insecurity for them. Management must prepare layoff survivors for life after the layoff has occurred.Other ways that should be involved in assisting laid-off employees include actions on the part of management such as acting quickly: do not allow employees the opportunity to speculate or allow rumors to begin circulating in advance (Ly, 2012).

Secondly, managers should know the law and have answers prepared for any questions the laid-off employees are likely to ask. Thirdly, they should not to give employees a false sense of hope and be straightforward with the news and your reasons and justifications. Fourthly, it should be ensured that the managing staff is respectful towards the employees at all times through the latter may lash out and become angry, which is a natural reaction. Finally, to provide support, a company should offer career counseling, letters of recommendation, and also attempt to contact job placement agencies on the employees’ behalf (Ly, 2012).

It is also important that your company maintain the morale of those employees who did not get laid off but may now feel they have reason to feel less secure in their careers. There are three strategies a company should follow to influence morale after company layoffs: anticipate likely employee responses, try to create and identify interventions that will impact employee morale, and ensure that your company monitors and evaluates morale with regularity to determine the impact of actions taken (Kettley, 1995).