A lot of companies are going through transformation resulting in massive lay-offs. During the transition process, which can be quite long, employees don’t know how they will be impacted and they have to witness their good colleagues being impacted negatively by the change. In such an environment, employees are often sad, frustrated and stressed.
Being a leader in these difficult times is tough. It means contributing to implementing a reorganisation that can have a negative impact on their own team and their own position. And, on top of that, the leaders role is to support their team to deliver value and to help them cope with the uncertainties.
How to be a strong leader in difficult times and help protect employees mental well-being?
Be honest on your role and on the environment: be as transparent as you can with your team but remind them that because of your position, there are some information you have to keep confidential. Be clear on the fact that you cannot guarantee that anybody will be safe, acknowledge that the next few months/ years will be full of unclarity, uncertainty and will be tough as you will all have to say goodbye to good colleagues.
Be open: remind your team members that they cannot control the fact that they are in the middle of a reorganisation and the decisions that will be made by top management, but they can decide if they want to be part of it or not. Help them understand what is important to them so they can make a decision for themselves. If they are driven by clarity, job security or financial stability - they are probably in the wrong environment.
Be supportive: whether they decide to leave or stay, the transition period will take time and not be easy. Allow them to ventilate their frustration, help them prevent or recognise signs of stress. Remind them to use their private time to re-energise. Help them focus on their current tasks and deliveries, the value they are creating and the learnings they are gaining. If your team members prefer to leave, show interest in their job search, offer to help them reassess their value proposition and to be their reference for future employers. Helping the employee leave the company if it no longer fits them is not being unfaithful to the organisation, on the contrary, it shows the company has strong leaders that prioritise people well-being. If they accept the risks and are ready to stay, help them build an internal network. Transformation can also mean exciting opportunities for internal employees.
Be professional: when it comes to implementing a tough decision, be straight forward, do it with respect and compassion but stay strong.
Try to influence: as a leader in a transformation, you have the opportunity to influence the processes through feedback. Speak up if you see some room for improvement that could have impact people.
Protect yourself: before you can support your team, you have to be mentally strong. Transformation is draining. Discuss with peers and your own leaders, re-energise. And, when it comes to implementing tough decision, make sure you can dissociate your position and you as a person.
Organisations need leaders who can implement transformation while protecting their teams and their own mental well-being.
Claire Lemettre