How to protect your employer brand by jeri ana smith

How to Protect Your Employer Brand: your guide to planning and conducting an organizational workforce reduction

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It’s Never Easy Delivering the news that someone’s position is being eliminated is one of the most difficult responsibilities of a Human Resources professional. Conducting an event that impacts several, dozens or hundreds of employees can take an emotional toll. In any situation, having an unusually high level of stress can make simple projects seems difficult, and difficult projects seem insurmountable. This guide was created to help you navigate this arduous task. At RiseSmart it is our goal is to partner with you to create an event that will leave the impacted employees feeling that the message was handled professionally, and that resources were provided to them to make their transition easier and their new job search more effective and efficient. This guide walks you through best practices of conducting a workforce reduction event. We encourage you to adapt it to your corporate culture and to turn to your RiseSmart Client Services Manager to help you design an event that runs smoothly from start to finish.

Protecting your Brand As our workforce becomes smaller and more flexible, protecting your employer brand becomes more critical. When you eliminate someone’s position there are several likely scenarios of where they will end up in their next job: • A competitor of your organization • A customer of your organization • A vender of your organization

It is also highly likely that at some point in time you will want to recruit that person to return to your organization. In any of these situations you want your former employees saying what a great place your organization was to work! In order to part ways amicably, and preserving the ability to be able to hire the individual back, it is critical that you treat them with respect and dignity as they exit. This comes through in the messaging of the news to the employees, in the severance package offered and in the assistance provided to them in looking for a new opportunity.

Where do I start? It’s always best to start with a plan. Here are some questions to ask yourself – and your executive team. Pull together the answers to these questions as a foundation to start planning your event. • How many people will be impacted? (approximate at first, getting more solid on the numbers as you move through the plan) • What date will the news be delivered? Will everyone be notified on the same date or will the notifications be phased? • How soon before the notification date will the larger executive team be notified? The managers? • How will we train the managers to deliver the notification message? • Who will be impacted? What groups? What level of employee?

• How will we deal with situations where Managers are delivering notifications but will also be impacted themselves? • Does the WARN Act apply here? Do we need to do a WARN Notification?

• Who should be available and onsite the day of the notification? (i.e. security, the EAP, RiseSmart, etc.)

With the help of your executive team, create a concise business case regarding the purpose of the downsizing event. This information can be used for multiple purposes including notification meeting scripts, general announcements and notices, etc. Schedule a Planning Meeting with your RiseSmart Client Services Manager to ensure that resources are allocated to your event and preliminary job market research can be conducted.

Require groups to have their lists finalized at least a week prior to the notification date. This gives you time to put together packages and finalize process.

Conduct Manager Notification Training for all managers who will be conducting a notification meeting. No matter how many times a manager has conducted a notification meeting, its never easy and it’s a good idea to review the do’s and don’ts. (Talk to your RiseSmart Client Services Manager to find out more about RiseSmart’s Manager Notification Training). For the notification meetings, have managers meet one-on-one with each individual being impacted. This is the first signal to that employee that you respect them as an individual and will go a long way towards preserving your reputation. Continually monitor social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Glassdoor, etc.) for conversations concerning your organization and workforce reduction Have all notifications delivered within a short period of time. This will help to alleviate the concerns of those employees you want to retain.

Have representatives from your EAP onsite the day of the notification to help alleviate any emotional issues that may arise.

In case of any volatile or hostile reactions, be sure to have security on alert the day of the notification event. However, ask security to keep a low profile. There is nothing more demeaning than having to be escorted out of the building by security when the employee has reacted professionally to the notification. (Ultimately, security’s presence should be based on your internal policies and the known factors surrounding the event). Have RiseSmart onsite the day of the notification to conduct debriefing meetings and/or onsite soon after to conduct an RiseSmart Orientation session.

Provide a list of impacted employees to RiseSmart with their eligibility date and package assignment for each individual as soon as possible.

HOW TO PROT E C T YOU R E M PLOYE R BR AND

With each leader or manager making decision about who will be retained and who will be impacted by the event, be sure to discuss, either as a group or one-on-one, the legal, ethical and organizational issues surrounding making that decision.

Best Practice Recommendations

BP HOW TO PROT E C T YOU R E M PLOYE R BR AND

Project Planner: Planning Phase Action Item

Completion Date

Person Responsible

Establish business case for reduction in force. Determine approximate number of employees and/or positions to be eliminated. Establish action plan and timeline for entire event. If applicable, prepare WARN notice. Establish selection criteria and rationalize against applicable laws. Some criteria examples: • Skills vs. Business needs • Job elimination • Job redundancy

4 Determine benefit/severance package for employees: • Pay in lieu of notice? • Severance pay? • Medical and dental continuation until (date) • EAP program – XX additional visits for employee/family? • Outstanding 401K loan payoff? • Accrued but unused vacation to be paid? • Redeployment possible? • Career transition assistance through RiseSmart

Contact RiseSmart to schedule Planning Meeting Conduct first review meeting with RIF list and timetable with executives Establish administrative process for workforce reduction. Tasks to consider: • How will computers/phones/other materials be collected from each individual? • When/how do we inform payroll? • Create a mechanism for tracking benefits and outplacement Conduct review meeting of the RIF list and timetable with executives. Should be closer to final list than first meeting. Determine any follow ups for executives – are there managers that need to turn in lists? If lists are not final yet, what is the barrier?

Action Item Create an Exit packet. Examples of what might be in the packet: • Formal separation letter outlining benefits/severance • Outplacement information (supplied by RiseSmart) • EAP benefits • 401K forms • Unemployment insurance/social security materials Contact EAP Program to inform them of the workforce reduction and discuss any additional benefits they can provide to employees and families. Identify rooms in building(s) to be used for individual notification meetings. Establish communication strategy and timetable: • Greater Executive Team Outplacement information (supplied by RiseSmart) • Managers • Memo to all employees to go out immediately following event Develop “script” to be used by managers when conducting exit interview process. Schedule manager notification training Develop schedule for RIF meetings (date). Develop all-hands meeting schedule for (date) include with memo to staying employee. Create a retention plan for staying employees. Schedule appointments for impacted employees to meet after (date) with management or HR for final exit interview. Meet with Security/Facilities to identify/resolve security issues and to discuss presence on day of notification. Provide Payroll with list of affected employees. Conduct final meeting with executives for review of impacted employee list: • Create final list • Assign RiseSmart packages

Completion Date

Person Responsible

HOW TO PROT E C T YOU R E M PLOYE R BR AND

Project Planner: Planning Phase Continued

BP HOW TO PROT E C T YOU R E M PLOYE R BR AND

Project Planner: Planning Phase Continued Action Item

Completion Date

Person Responsible

Assemble individual notification/exit packets for employee. Contact legal counsel and review list for potential negative impact and high risk situations. Conduct Manager Notification Training Send final list of eligible employees to RiseSmart (with eligibility dates and package assignments designated) Review and finalize schedule of exit interviews. Have RiseSmart onsite for post-exit interview debrief and/or Orientation session (recommended)

Action Item

Completion Date

Person Responsible

Conduct employee Notification Meetings. • Manager/HR conduct each exit interview • Manager explains reasons for position elimination and how employee is being affected • HR Rep explains benefits/severance package and outplacement assistance • Introduce employee to RiseSmart representative or encourage employee to call RiseSmart if no representative present Notify temporary agencies about affected temporary and contract employees. After all notifications are completed, conduct debriefing with participating managers, supervisors, HR staff and RiseSmart representative.

Project Planner: Activities Action Item Conduct meeting for all retained employees. Distribute memo explaining event to all employees. Conduct notification meetings for anyone not on-site on notification date. Conduct on-on-one meeting to reassure “key” employees. Outplacement workshops/ counseling sessions begin. Initiate any security procedures. Complete final administrative paperwork. HR Staff/Management meet with impacted employees on an individual basis to explain benefits/severance. Ensure Payroll arranges for benefit continuation through determined date. Send out COBRA packages to impacted employees.

HOW TO PROT E C T YOU R E M PLOYE R BR AND

Project Planner: Implementation

Completion Date

Person Responsible

RiseSmart is the leading provider of next-generation outplacement solutions. The company leverages a cloud-based technology platform, proven methodologies, and one-on-one support to help employers with their workforce strategy. RiseSmart drives significant ROI to organizations by offering affordable pricing while reducing unemployment insurance taxes and severance costs. RiseSmart has received a wide range of awards and recognition from organizations including Gartner, Inc., the Golden Bridge Awards, the Momentum Index, Red Herring, the San Francisco Business Times, SiliconIndia, the Sillicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, the Stevie Awards, TiE and Bersin by Deloitte. For more information visit www.risesmart.com.

For more information contact Karen Stevens, Vice President, Practice Strategy Phone: 408.886.3315 Email: kstevens @risesmart.com