Many people don't take this seriously enough. It is so easy to look at people as expendable, and our roles as business leaders as impeccable by virtue. The truth is, we have a reputation that precedes us, no matter where we go. And it is through our employees, or former employees, that this reputation is upheld and dispersed.
Let me make a distinction at the start of this article that will serve us well. There is a universe of difference between Transitioning and Terminating. Both have their place. I recommend carrying yourself in business in such a way that Terminating becomes a thing of the past. Because, what's true is, 98% of what would cause a need for Termination lies in the hands of the employer.
Employees are a unique bunch. They want to be loyal. They want to be predictable. They want to know what they'll be doing tomorrow, and the next day, and next week. They want to park in the same place every day. They want to punch in. They want to stand around in the break room for ten minutes and get back to their desk refreshed. They want to staple things, and punch holes in things, and answer things. And they want to know that their desk and their stapler and their phone will be there when they show up in the morning.
In exchange for a safe work environment, what an employer receives is monthly reports, bills paid on time, guests greeted in the lobby, a clean hallway, coffee in the breakroom, and an ongoing sensation of moralle that moves the company forward.
And now, in this world of downsizing and responsive management, there is a spoken assumption taking place that workers know they are expendable.
Having worked for years in the contingent staffing community there would be calls on Sunday evening asking to keep a contractor home for good starting Monday morning. Woah.
Granted those people were contractors and knew they took a risk. And, they're still people.
What so many companies fail to recognize is that they just invested in month of terrible word of mouth. Some companies are willing to take that risk. I hold that there are ways to operate with a longer view than one which arrives at such sudden conclusions.
As an example, I'll cite the company of some of my good friends. Mark Bass and Matt Tapie. I met them in a leadership class and team respectively and I watched them over a six month cycle as they planned their company transition from a General Contractor construction company handling monster custom homes in the then-rich community of South Ventura County.
Realizing that they wanted to move from traditional construction and building paradigm into a paradigm of lifestyle design leading construction by designing teams and the product with choices that range from modular custom homes, to green integrated systems.
"The challenge here has been helping people see what it takes to recognize a technology and include all the parts that will help that get effectively deployed," says Mark Bass. "Theres an architect, the city, codes, planning, materials, interiors, exteriors, a lot of things."
Their transition from a mulitple person construction crew and office to a smaller outfit meant that many people had to go. Instead of waiting until the last minute to deliver a harsh message about the future of each employee, they sat down with each of them about four months before the changes were to begin and had a meeting on the future of home building.
By asking each employee what they thought responsible contractors could do, there was a huge buy-in to the concept of entering new arenas. It didn't take long for those employees to look around and realize a shift like that wouldn't require their services right away either. And, because the company was in the middle of several large jobs, they knew they had income for at least twelve weeks.
The humanity and trust involved in including employees at that level is huge!
Employees want to know what their schedule looks like for a long time to come. If they know they have six weeks to find work. They're cool. There's time to polish the resume, they can interview after work hours or on lunch, they can consider their options. They can speak highly of their current employer. With a letter of recommendation in their hand and a good word over the phone, they can be nearly guaranteed a good spot in their next position. And how do you think that will reflect on you, the former employer?
They'll go the extra mile to defend your name any where, any time.
Here's how Lisa Dodd's last week at Tapie Construction looked.
Arriving a few minutes late from lunch, her manager, Mark Bass checked in. "How was lunch?"
"Good," she said. "Just getting in a little late. Guess I'm on short time."
"Yeah, the last day can be like that," he replied. "Are you excited to start the new job tomorrow?"
"I had lunch with them today. They're so nice," she beams.
"You're going to do great over there," Mark encourages her.
And she logs into her system, types, replies to some e-mails...
"I'm going to miss you guys, though."
That level of affinity is priceless. Now, if Mark ever needs her, or someone she knows, its no problem. And, she leaves for a new employer with all the confidence and comfort that are so useful in a new work environment.
Face it, the changes involved are so scary for a person in the employee lifestyle, it can add exponents of terror if they are coming from a hostile work environment. What Mark did, and what I hope you will do, is plan your business life in such a way that you have a positive impact on your current and past employees.
The loyalty, admiration, trust, and respect that you will get from "making it about the employee," will add more good will to your future than any cost-saving measure you might consider.
