Putting a Survivor Support Plan into Action

Downsizing happens. Whether related to an economic downturn, changing market, reorganization, management, or simple bad luck, companies sometimes have to face the hard path of workforce reduction. 

Intended or not, a reduction in force (RIF) will create a culture change in your organization. Only your company can determine whether that change will be positive or negative. RIFs leave remaining employees feeling fear, stress, and often resentment. With the right approach, line of communication, and offered support, surviving staff feels valued, and an organization recovers and flourishes more quickly.

Putting extra care into supporting remaining employees can yield a high return on investment. Sustained productivity, retention, and employee satisfaction are the primary returns. Others include improved communication, organizational alignment, customer relations, and community image.

Vandover has developed a survivor support program to help companies through these difficult times. With a licensed counselor, licensed social worker, career consultants, career assessment professionals, and 25 years of consulting with organizations on best practices, Vandover will be there from early planning and assessments, to on-site support during the layoff, to post-RIF evaluations.

After initial consultation and planning with senior leadership, Vandover offers several program options:
 
Change Management Workshops for Managers and Supervisors:
Your managers are at the front line of a RIF. They generally will take the brunt of employee’s emotional responses, which may include anger. Managers need to emotionally support their teams/departments, as well as handle the shifting of daily responsibilities. They are pressured to keep up productivity with less people. In short, managers need emotional support too.

Vandover offers pre- and post-RIF workshops for senior leadership, managers, and supervisors. They are designed to be four or eight hours and can be customized to your needs. This is a time for managers to understand the process, work through and share their own emotions, anticipate issues, and be ready to implement a planned course of action.

About two weeks after the layoff, a second workshop is held to discuss successes and failures and to work through ongoing struggles. Continuing to mentor your front-line managers makes them feel more supported, valued, and able to perform their jobs.

Group Round Tables:
After the RIF, Vandover will facilitate 90-minute, round-table discussions with the larger employee population. These may be organized randomly or with specific work groups of six to 12 people. Here, employees can process fears, stress, and thoughts toward management.

The round tables also provide the opportunity for employees to offer suggestions and volunteer for new responsibilities. Providing a forum of objective listening makes clear that senior leadership is invested and cares. Letting your employees be part of it and allowing them to have a more proactive role in re-structuring and distribution of work will lead to a confident, empowered, and retained staff.

Vandover will advocate for and present the group’s findings, anonymously, to leadership.

Team-Building Activities:
A reduction in work force creates new and/or altered work teams and departments. In order for teams to be successful and keep up productivity, they need to build trust and renew their commitment to the company.

Vandover will lead a one-day, team-building activity customized to your company’s needs. Topics covered during the activity will include dealing with change, removing barriers to foster teamwork, encouraging positive messages and trust in the workplace, expressing grief, identifying growth opportunities, and setting goals for the new team.

One-On-One Survivor Coaching:
Finally, Vandover’s team of trained, professional consultants can offer personal, one-on-one coaching to those needing more support.

Offering survivor support is for those companies who want to be best in class, who prize themselves on being people-focused, who care about retention and satisfaction, and who desire an engaged work force.