Dontt neglect those left behind

f, necenr REpoRT succESTED that 55Vo of workers are unhappy with their current .tA,;oU. Personally, I suspect that 557o would be even more unhappy without a job.

That being said, the events of the last two years-restructurings, consolidations, closings, salary and promotion freezes, benefit cuts-have not been met kindly. Indeed, when the Christmas party gets cut, well...

Running a company has been far from easy these past few years. As an owner, you carry the burden of how you are going to meet the next payroll. It can be hard to share that information without sending alarm bells around the company, let alone to your customers and competitors. While we may not be able to sleep at nights, and others can't understand why such cuts have been made, the fact is that to protect the many, you might be required to do things you find abhorrent, just to survive.

There is no good time to let people go, but have some compassion. I witnessed one company hand out pink slips the week before Christmas. Help those affected financially and emotionally to deal with it, so those left behind can see that you care.

You may have already taken tough steps. More may be required before conditions improve. Yet how do you motivate those that are left and provide comfort? Well, if you have to make a tough decision, take action quickly and decisively. Don't let a cloud of doom hang over the company. It is better to lay off a few more people than hope for the best and then go back to the well a few weeks or months later. Let the pain be felt once, not two or three times. Make changes in one go, not in dribs and drabs, unsettling everyone in the company. It may be tough on the ZOVo who are affected-but better 80Vo feel okay than 20Va. You want your remaining employees focused on how they are going to get the company growing. not worrying when the next shoe is going to drop.

I saw a headline today about the disposable worker. That's just the type of thinking that has led 55Vo to reconsider whom they work for. I know I did for five years before going out on my own. I understand big business, but what I have never accepted in my career is a lack of empathy for my employees. Everyone is not dispensablel

A callous attitude by management causes employees to question their loyalty to the company. I believe it is how you as managers handle this situation that will determine how you come out of the recession. People have long memories and will remember how they were treated during this crisis. If you do not manage with compassion now, when times get better and new jobs start, your staff will be off at the first opportunity.

So what do you do for those left behind when there is not much to give financially? Many managers working through these difficult times feel that their hands are tied, especially when salary increases are frozen and budgets are cut. But saying "thank you" costs nothing. "Thanks for being on my team. I value your contribution under very difficult circumstances." How many times do we hear that? Do not hide behind blanket emails; those only lead to the worst being painted into every word. Face to face you can say what is real and not real, and paint a more truthful and optimistic picture. You can show the way to better times. Webcasts and email are not personal, and there has never been a more important time to be personal. Take an interest in your employees as individuals. If they feel anonymous in the organization, they will dread comine to work.

Another way is to help every employee understand why their job is important and to whom. Give reasons-whether they be in customer service, accounts payable, or the yard. That 557o will never be happy unless we find a way to take an interest in them and what they do, as human beings. If we don't, we are not only committing them to a miserable time at work, but also committing our companies to employees who are not workins at their best.

Alan Oakes, Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

Bpii

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