Best Practices for Implementing a Virtual Layoff

A couple of weeks ago, I read a scathing article online of a company that conducted a mass layoff over a group Zoom meeting. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, but after getting through the article, it occurred to me that we’re in unprecedented times and companies are likely going to make some mistakes after having to take drastic measures just to survive. With all of that being said, I firmly believe that we can do a much better job handling virtual layoffs while also preserving our employees’ dignity.

HR Professionals across the country are having to look for alternative ways to deliver the news that employees are being impacted by a reduction in force. COVID-19 is redefining future HR practices for businesses large and small, particularly those who must make tough decisions to manage costs that require employee reductions.

This means that companies have to firmly understand how to conduct virtual RIF notification meetings now and into the future. To get started, here are a few key tips for conducting both large and small virtual events:

Communication Is Key

I recognize that most managers have delivered one-off terminations or layoffs virtually. In these scenarios, a manager would most likely schedule a call with the employee, without the employee knowing the purpose of the meeting, and invite HR to hop on that call to witness the notification and review the severance and waiver. 

In a large scale virtual layoff scenario with kids home from school, spouses in the other room, and personal stress at an all-time high, the logistics are much more complicated. I am advising clients to consider sending out a pre-communication notice to employees of the company, department, or business unit, that the company must take measures to manage costs across the company and that every employee will be having a meeting with their manager to understand how the changes impact them.

Why is this important? 

Most Americans are at home with their families and kids and most likely have many distractions. You don’t want to surprise an employee with a sensitive call without knowing that they are in private or in an area where they can take the news. If you pre-schedule all of the calls during work hours, employees have the opportunity to make sure they’re in a quiet place to receive the news from the manager.

The Logistics of Holding a Virtual Layoff Meeting

I would recommend HR send out the meeting invite to the employee and manager and confirm that the employee is good with the scheduled time. The employee should accept the meeting invite acknowledging that the time works for them. You should schedule at least 30-45 minutes for the manager to deliver the news and HR to review the severance package. If you’re using a company platform, make sure you lock the meeting and create a lobby for employees to wait before letting anyone in. Zoom has a meeting lock feature so you don’t have to worry about employees joining meetings while a notification is in progress. 

Explain Severance and Next Steps

Some managers may exit a meeting once the message has been delivered to allow HR to review severance packages and outplacement programs. If you use a virtual platform such as Zoom or Go-To-Meeting, HR can share their screen to show key information. 

Make sure you obtain the employee’s email and phone number because you’re most likely going to email the package when you end the meeting. Like any large scale RIF, collect all FAQs and relay them to your command center HR person after each meeting. You can email these answers out to all employees once the RIF is complete.

Practice With Your Managers

This new delivery will feel very unnatural to some HRBP’s and Managers, particularly if you’ve never done it before. I would encourage you and the manager to practice getting into the meeting and saying your scripts. 

Also, make sure you practice navigating the virtual meeting interface. Nothing is more frustrating than when you have tech problems during a meeting of this nature. Once the meeting is complete, you’ll need to coordinate a time for the employee to return to work to retrieve their personal items. You should also coordinate with IT and others to terminate employee access.

Many of these guidelines are for the immediate use of virtual layoffs. I wouldn’t adopt everything here as a new practice going forward. Once we’re back to a new working normal, I would revert back to the in-person meeting; although my sense is this way of delivery could be a new normal going forward.

The best thing to keep in mind is to do your best to hold a virtual layoff meeting in the very same way you would an in-person one. You need to have a script, your severance documents, and everything else in place before the event. Take special care to make the meeting as normal as possible even if it has to be done via a video conference.