You’re leading a team that’s been hit hard by layoffs. How can you rebuild trust?

We are all human and "losing" coworkers (and possibly friends) to a layoff is hard. So many emotions are being felt - fear, frustration, sadness, anxiety...and guilt. It's incredibly important to validate how people are feeling; to let them know that you really get it and that you care. And hopefully you're being honest with them. The day you stop feeling bad when a layoff happens should be the day you resign. My rule of thumb for layoffs - always be as kind as possible.

Share how you're feeling and how you're going to handle your own emotions through this change. Sharing how you can hold space for sadness, defeat, but also hope and positivity is where personal power lies. I share my intentions for how i want to show up on Monday calls so that i can hold myself accountable. Sometimes it sounds like, "I'm going to hold space for the sadness this week and keep my projects moving". Sometimes it sounds like, "I'm going to show up with positivity and be present for whatever challenges this week brings". Both are authentic and provide a safe space for others to share.

When facing a situation where a team has been hit hard by layoffs, it's crucial to acknowledge the loss openly and empathetically. Ignoring or downplaying the impact of the layoffs can further erode trust. As a leader, it's essential to address the situation head-on, expressing understanding for the emotions and concerns of the remaining team members. By acknowledging the loss openly, you demonstrate that you understand and empathize with the challenges your team is facing. This can help rebuild trust by fostering a sense of transparency and openness within the team.

"In times of layoffs, rebuilding trust demands empathy and transparency. Tough decisions weigh heavily on us, but stories like CEO Robert Ybarra during COVID-19, who retained his staff of 40-50 by cutting costs, not people, inspire. This approach showcases leadership's power to unite and innovate under pressure, prioritizing our team's welfare above all. Open dialogue and commitment to our team’s well-being are our guiding lights. Let’s navigate these challenges together, demonstrating that true leadership stands with the team, always. #Leadership #Empathy #Unity"

Communicating a compelling vision helps inspire and re-engage team members, fostering a sense of purpose and direction amid uncertainty. This can help rebuild trust by demonstrating leadership's commitment to the team's collective success.

Fostering open communication is crucial to empower a team in the aftermath of layoffs. Reinforcing your open-door policy with an anonymous internal speak-up tool creates a safe space for employees to voice concerns, share feedback, and express emotions without fearing retribution. Demonstrating empathy and understanding fosters a culture of trust, enabling the remaining team members to collaborate more effectively and contribute to rebuilding the team's resilience in the face of adversity.

It's sensitive situation you must lead by example, so you must go in the operation from time to time so you show your staff that you are part of them, you must praise their hard work in the operation and you must appreciate their responsibility and pay them for this. Do not forget to bring new hands in .

To empower the team post-layoffs, foster open communication, provide growth opportunities, and trust them to make decisions autonomously while offering support as needed. Recognize their contributions, celebrate successes, and create a culture of value and belonging.

In this context, I would lean into building trust through meaningful relationships. Layoffs can cause major morale impacts for everyone. "Caring explains 84% of organisational trust." - Paul Zak To build relationships, I've adapted a six-stage model from Dr. Gordon Neufeld, using familiar concepts. 1. Connection - regular contact builds familiarity 2. Shared values, goals & interests - people look to each other for what connects them 3. Belonging - people feel accepted and motivated to participate in activities 4. Significance - people feel they matter and their experience matters 5. Care - when people feel cared for, they feel greater work satisfaction 6. Being known - feeling heard, understood, and safe in a team despite differences

To build resilience post-layoffs, encourage open communication and support for self-care. Foster a mindset of growth, collaboration, and lead by example, demonstrating perseverance and optimism.

It is hard to build trust until the remaining employees can be told there will not be any more reductions. Management should put forth every effort to NOT DRIBBLE reductions along but to do what is necessary and then conduct a lot of morale building and team work activities.

Acknowledge the Situation: After layoffs, employees need time to process what has happened. As a leader, over-communicate and share Understand Individual Needs: Each team member may have unique needs and preferences. Take the time to understand. Transparent Communication: Open and transparent communication is crucial. Foster Trust: Rebuilding trust is essential. Remind team members that their contributions remain valuable. Evaluate Workload: Assess team bandwidth after losing employees. Understand each person’s workload and ensure a fair distribution of responsibilities. Celebrate Success: Recognize achievements, no matter how small. Celebrate milestones and progress to boost morale and create a positive atmosphere2

I feel like this is often overlooked, but feels like the most critical item. In difficult circumstances like this, it's important to focus much more on listening than speaking. Your team is likely feeling this in many ways - from the emotional impact of losing friends and colleagues from the team, to survivors guilt, to the inevitable "what does this mean for me?" question related to potential increased workload. Don't make assumptions that you know what people are thinking - ask them!

What’s worked for me is to be honest. Acknowledge that there is a problem and provide assurance that the company is doing the needful to bail us all out of the situation. That together we would see the company through these tough times. Hold the team together and be there to take questions. Help them understand that if organisations do not take corrective measures when they see red flags, it will go down dragging everyone too in the process.

Letting people know that they no longer have a job is no easy task.Organizations should be authentic and transparent with as much information they can plan to reveal. A good communications team and partners must ensure there are no news leaks before the layoffs are communicated to people internally. It’s also important to synchronise the flow of information both internally and externally. PR teams must ensure their organisation is providing full support to the affected employees in the form of outplacement services, career counselling and reasonable severance packages.Replying to comments on social media even from the general public sends the message that the organisation is still listening and empathetic in times of a grave crisis.