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Sunday, 23 November 2008
How Workers Get Sacked Can Dent a Firm’s Image
Companies that sack staff without showing them proper respect risk damaging not only their employees’ health and self-esteem but also their own corporate image, a human resources specialist has warned.
Companies that sack staff without showing them proper respect risk damaging not only their employees’ health and self-esteem but also their own corporate image, a human resources specialist has warned.
Shane O’Neill from Talent2 said he had seen some terrible retrenchments in his 15 years in the industry.
“One company handed all staff envelopes marked with either an ‘A’ or a ‘B’,” he said. “The staff with ‘A’ were told they still had jobs while those with ‘B’ were told they were gone.”
Another poor method of sacking staff was to inform them by intranet or by e-mail.
“The message should be delivered face-to-face with preparations for a psychological assessment and a strategy for how the former employee can deal with the immense impact this decision is going to have on their lives,” he said.
“There is an opportunity that you can treat people with respect and in a professional manner. These are often people who have given dedicated service and worked hard for the company.”
Mr O’Neill said at some point the economy was going to recover and the same employee who was let go might be perfect for a new position in two or three years. “But if they were treated badly, they are not going to want to return,” he said.
A bad experience even has the potential to hurt a firm’s reputation.
“They are also likely to tell others about the treatment they received by the company, which makes it harder to attract the best talent,” he added.
Mr O’Neill said companies should ideally provide financial and psychological counselling, analyse ways the former employee can improve their training and education, and even give advice on resume writing.
“Companies have a strong business as well as moral obligation to support employees. You just can’t simply close the door on them.”
What companies can do to help sacked workers
1 Provide counselling and guidance to help manage the transition from employed to unemployed. This may included financial advice.
2 Self-discovery. Help staff identify their strengths.
3 Future career options. Brainstorm with staff for potential career movements.
4 Offer coaching and training. This could include advice on writing résumés and developing networking skills.
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How Workers Get Sacked Can Dent a Firm’s Image
Barclay Crawford
23 November 2008
Companies that sack staff without showing them proper respect risk damaging not only their employees’ health and self-esteem but also their own corporate image, a human resources specialist has warned.
Shane O’Neill from Talent2 said he had seen some terrible retrenchments in his 15 years in the industry.
“One company handed all staff envelopes marked with either an ‘A’ or a ‘B’,” he said. “The staff with ‘A’ were told they still had jobs while those with ‘B’ were told they were gone.”
Another poor method of sacking staff was to inform them by intranet or by e-mail.
“The message should be delivered face-to-face with preparations for a psychological assessment and a strategy for how the former employee can deal with the immense impact this decision is going to have on their lives,” he said.
“There is an opportunity that you can treat people with respect and in a professional manner. These are often people who have given dedicated service and worked hard for the company.”
Mr O’Neill said at some point the economy was going to recover and the same employee who was let go might be perfect for a new position in two or three years. “But if they were treated badly, they are not going to want to return,” he said.
A bad experience even has the potential to hurt a firm’s reputation.
“They are also likely to tell others about the treatment they received by the company, which makes it harder to attract the best talent,” he added.
Mr O’Neill said companies should ideally provide financial and psychological counselling, analyse ways the former employee can improve their training and education, and even give advice on resume writing.
“Companies have a strong business as well as moral obligation to support employees. You just can’t simply close the door on them.”
What companies can do to help sacked workers
1 Provide counselling and guidance to help manage the transition from employed to unemployed. This may included financial advice.
2 Self-discovery. Help staff identify their strengths.
3 Future career options. Brainstorm with staff for potential career movements.
4 Offer coaching and training. This could include advice on writing résumés and developing networking skills.
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