Moments of Truth
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Jack and Suzy Welch's column a couple of weeks ago answered the question:
The Welches responded with a powerful column. Here's the money quote.
"Layoffs are your moment of truth, when your company must show departing employees the same kind of attentiveness and dignity that was showered upon them when they entered. Layoffs are when HR proves its mettle and its worth, demonstrating whether a company really cares about its people."
That's great advice. But it should be extended beyond HR.
Making choices about how to survive in tough times involves moments of truth all over the organization. There are two big reasons.
The choices you make when times are tough reveal your priorities and values. As my father-in-law says, "Adversity doesn't build character. It reveals it."
The impact of the choices you make go to the core of relationships. They're fraught with emotion. And that means they'll be remembered. Not just remembered, but relived in memory, and talked about.
The question is: "What do you want to be remembered for?"
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Great stuff.
These times provide multiple opportunities that "business ethics" is not an oyxmoron.
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Thanks for adding that. I think "opportunities" is the key word. We have the opportunity to do it right or not.
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Wally, right on, especially the part about the way layoffs are conducted not just belonging to HR. This is exactly the time when the values of an organization, the values actually in use rather than the values hung on the wall, make themselves known -- and memorably so.
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Hi Dan. Good point about the "values in practice" versus "values on the wall." On the wall doesn't really count. If they match what you do in real life, no one notices them. If they don't, everyone notices that your talk and your walk are different.
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Wally, I'm concerned that even Jack and Suzy underreported the potential damage associated with such "Moments of Truth" occassions. The real risk ties back to the Brand I believe. If a company screws this up, the Brand can take a huge hit on numerous fronts, since Moment of Truth occurences can travel around the globe so easily. When it occurs Brand image can take a hit. When the economy rebounds, access to talent can be impacted, since the Brand is not considered a good place to work. These are but of few of the potential implications. Such Moment of Truth occurences have many unintended consequences outside of simply saving money.
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Good point, Rodney. If the brand of a company is what comes to mind when people hear the name, then all the actions it takes will affect the brand.
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The OTHER money quote is
"HR matters enormously in good times. It defines you in the bad."
Good article. Thanks for sharing.
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Agreed, Kirk. We'll make that two money quotes in one article.
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Powerful post Wally! While leaders need to do everything they can to weather the current economic storm, their actions during this recession will reveal much about their character and ability to balance long term objectives with short term realities.
I've shared your post with my readers in my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/03/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week-3.html) to remind my readers of this very important food for thought.
Be well Wally!
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Thanks, Chris. It's always an honor to make your short list.
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Terrific post, Wally. Why shouldn't a company shower the same attention, assistance and financial investment on laid-off employees as on new hires? Not only is it the right thing to do, but it's essentially an investment in the company's post-recession reputation.
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Exactly, Hayli. That investment will be especially valuable if you want those folks to come back. Thanks for the comment.
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