How Leaders Can Rebuild Their Teams After a Layoff

When teams are consolidated or ripped apart in a layoff, leaders have an opportunity the help their employees adjust to their new normal and figure out how to get the work done.

But that's not as easy as it seems. Employee anxiety rises with the mounting work thrust upon them and a fear of additional layoffs can hamper team productivity.

Here are five steps leaders can take to rebuild their team's feeling of security.

1. Discuss the Change Curve

Everyone on the team will go through the Kübler-Ross change curve at different speeds. The change curve is a model that represents how people react to change or loss. In the workplace, it can help predict how employees will deal with major organizational changes.

The change curve includes seven stages:

1. Shock: Initial shock of the event
2. Denial: Disbelief that the event happened
3. Frustration: The need to assign anger or blame
4. Depression: Drops in morale and productivity
5. Experiment: Beginning to reengage
6. Decision: Learning to positively accept the change
7. Integration: Fully accepting the change as the new normal

Not everyone will experience the change curve in the same way. Some people move into a depression or deep sadness at the bottom of the curve before finally engaging in the change. The curve goes up as people learn to work within the change and ultimately accept the new environment.

Leaders who take the time to discuss team members' feelings and emotions after a mass layoff will provide employees with comfort in knowing they can talk about the changes openly without gossip.

Compassionately asking team members where they are on the change curve will allow leaders to understand how to help their employees move through each stage and reach acceptance faster.

2. Exhibit Patience on Productivity

Productivity may be hampered as employees move through the first part of the curve (shock), then denial and frustration as their brains try to process what the layoff means to them. Their focus on work may also be disrupted as they move down the curve.

There aren't as many people to deliver on business expectations, so remaining employees may need to accomplish work at a slower pace or in a different way. While leaders may not want to lose momentum in achieving goals, pausing for a moment to give employees time to adjust will show empathy and build trust with the team.

3. Redefine Expectations on Deliverables

With less people, leaders need to proactively discuss expectations and deliverable timelines to reprioritize work. Perhaps entire projects or goals are abandoned or a project that is critical needs to be moved to a new team member.

Engage with the team to understand the time and detail needed on current deliverables to determine how to redistribute work based on priorities. Dumping all the work that was supposed to be done by laid off employees onto those remaining will not create a positive environment and could lead to top performers' further frustration, burnout and decisions to depart the company.

That said, new or changing work could mean employees have an opportunity to develop new skills and show their capabilities in a different way. Take the time to align on how the work will get done and reset expectations with two-way communication so leaders will know if the work becomes too burdensome or employees aren't sure where to focus their efforts.

4. Provide Psychological Safety

The more leaders are willing to discuss the changes and how the company is adjusting its goals toward the future, the more trust leaders will build with their teams. After a layoff, employees are looking for signs there could be future layoffs.

Therefore, answering the same questions for the hundredth time, with the same patience used the first time the question was asked, will be key to stabilizing the team. Further, provide transparency into whether there are still budget concerns or whether the team is no longer the target of additional layoffs.

Finally, openly acknowledge with details and praise those on the team who have adjusted to change well and are taking on new responsibilities.

Here are some examples of what you could say to an employee who excelled despite the stress:

• "Good job taking over this critical project. I know you were working late a number of nights last week to get up to speed on it."
• "I appreciate that you immediately made our clients secure in you as their new contact."
• "I really value your proactive communication when you asked for help to ensure deadlines were met."

Everyone on the team who hears the acknowledgment of great work will want the same praise.

5. Listen

This may seem obvious, but the more a leader listens to the questions being asked and the statements being made, the easier it will be for the leader to empathize with their team members and provide the necessary support.

When leaders ask "how are you?" many times it leads to the obligatory "fine," because employees generally want their leaders to know they are coping well. But that leaves the leader at a loss for truly understanding how an employee adjusts to the changes.

Consider asking "can you describe how you are feeling today in terms of the weather?" If the response is "stormy" or "cloudy" or "partly sunny," that will give leaders a way to open the door on how you can help bring out the sun.

If this won't resonate with some employees, consider asking: "On a scale of one to five, with five being great, how are you feeling about the changes?" Then listen to not only the answer but also the energy of how it is said to truly understand the level of support still needed.

Moving Forward After a Layoff

Recognizing that everyone will take a different amount of time to adjust to the layoffs will allow leaders to remain patient during these uncertain times. The most important tip is to not force employees to "get over it and move on." Everyone will need their own time to process the layoffs and feel more secure in their own future with the company.

About the Author

Marlo Lyons is a certified Career, Executive and Team Coach and author of the award-winning book, Wanted -> A New Career, The Definitive Playbook For Transitioning To A New Career Or Finding Your Dream Job.

Marlo has spent more than 20 years inspiring, motivating and empowering people to excel in their careers and businesses. Marlo is a globally recognized career, executive and team coach who helps leaders at all levels to achieve their desired career goals and empower their employees to reach optimal performance. Marlo developed her proven Career Transition Strategies® from her experience coaching hundreds of clients across all industries, her role as a human resources executive in start-ups and Fortune 500 companies and from her own experiences transitioning careers from TV News reporter to entertainment lawyer to HR Business Partner to certified coach. Marlo's award-winning book, Wanted -> A New Career can be found on Amazon and Audible and she can be contacted through her website at www.marlolyonscoaching.com.