“Some people are not loyal to you, they are loyal to their need of you – and once their needs change, so does their loyalty.â€
I can’t take credit for the above quote (a thank you to the person that said it) but from my own personal perspective, it has real resonance given the situation that we all find ourselves in currently. As a recruitment specialist within the L&D arena, the last two weeks in particular have been a real eye opener for me – and that’s after 17 years (Ouch!) of running Blue Eskimo, a recruitment consultancy in this sector.
Not surprisingly, given our reach, we have been inundated recently with people in depressing and stressful situations, being made redundant, being furloughed or being told that they have to take pay cuts, or work on a part-time basis.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that in these unprecedented and turbulent times that many organisations, including L&D providers and L&D functions have had to make (or will have to make) very difficult and often necessary decisions - but clearly there are a wide variety of ways of doing this, from blatantly wrong, knee-jerk reactions, to taking a step back, pausing for breath and taking into account both the humanitarian and longer term impact of decisions being made.
To put this into context, I’ve enclosed some excerpts below from some of the many confidential discussions that I have had in the last week or two; many of whom have been from people in senior management positions within their organisations who, to be honest, don’t want to work for their employers anymore:
· “The company has lost it’s moral compassâ€
· “Loyal employees are being treated like numbers on a spreadsheetâ€
· “People are being moved around like pawns on a chessboardâ€
· “It seems like the situation is being used as an opportunity to reduce salary costsâ€
· “People are showing their true colours - and I don’t like what I seeâ€
· “The Directors treat people like family when times are good and ditch them without a second thought when times get toughâ€
· “There is panic and a lack of leadership and knee-jerk decisions are being madeâ€
· “There is no consideration for the medium term, when the company will have to spend a small fortune acquiring these skills againâ€
I don’t wish to sound na?ve, or patronising and as previously stated I totally get that many organisations are having to ‘cut their cloth’ accordingly and in many cases very quickly. But when I hear sentiments like those above, from the coalface, I do wonder (perhaps cynically) if in some cases, all of the talk about cultural change, talent attraction via branding, talent development and the like has been forgotten about, or was just about paying lip service in the first place.
It's easy to forget, but compassion for people is as important as the commercial decisions in a crisis. How will you and your company be remembered in a years’ time? There is no point in focusing lots of time and money on building a brand that attracts great talent if you’re going to damage it, potentially beyond repair, over the course of a few days or weeks.
These are choppy waters for everyone but many of the companies that survive and thrive post COVID-19 will be the ones that retained their loyal employees where possible, treated the casualties with dignity and made financial sacrifices themselves where necessary.
If like the people quoted above, you’re disillusioned with your current employer, are a victim of current circumstances or are looking to progress your career in L&D, then please get in touch with us on 01527 579647 or via info@blueeskimo.com
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4 å¹´Nick, you should re-post this. Such critical messages for so many. As you say, of course companies have to make changes and 'cut their cloth accordingly' - but it's HOW they do it that counts. People who have been made redundant, or furloughed, or put at risk - they will remember HOW they were dealt with and how it made them FEEL. Those scars will run deep for a long time if not done well. Employers be warned
Director | Developing revenue enablement strategies for tech sector organisations | Passionate about sales & marketing alignment
4 å¹´Thanks for the article Nick. I always think how companies react in tough times, or when employees are having a tough time, shows the real culture and heart of an organisation and when loyaties are really built or tested! And it absolutely goes both ways with the employees actions too! Hope you all at Blue Eskimo are doing well.
Head Of Change Management
4 å¹´Another great read Nick, many thanks for that, definitely will be in touch.
★Imagining a better future★
4 å¹´Not only will our staff remember how we acted during this but out customers will too. Treating staff right will be recognised across the board and ensure good companies thrive on the other side of this.
Sales and Marketing Consultant
4 年You touch on a very complex subject, young Nick. In good times, there are many happy times, great relationships, many jobs that frankly don’t deliver, people who don’t establish their true value to the company, but well it is the good times. Not now, and while you and the comments from others decry the behaviours, companies will do what they have to survive, it is in their dna. It raises the question of “ who is indispensable “, what is the nucleus for survival. We are at that point already. I felt you were too quick to criticise what has to be done. Some decisions may be cruel, or even wrong, and can cause personal difficulties, but we are already at that point. That said, the toughest decision I feel is at the top, and where the true courage will lie. Middle management are sadly in my view not empowered and clearly burdened by their own welfare to be able to do much beyond adopting a negative scenario. Hence your many comments. When life gets back to some semblance of normal, the talented will find work. Meanwhile we all need to appraise our true worth for when it recovers. Harsh, perhaps, but necessary, and you in your years in Blue Eskimo, know well that many CVs that have passed over your desk do not pass that tough test.