Left Behind: Working with Employees Who Survive a Reduction in Force

Business downsizing is a fact of life in today's economic environment. While employers spend a lot of time focusing on how to do a layoff and how to treat the laid off employees, very little thought is given to the morale of those employees who are retained by the company after a downsizing. Those workers are generally concerned about their future, and this can have an adverse impact on their ability to perform their jobs. Keep the lines of communication open between your remaining employees and management. Let employees know that it was hard for the company to lay off employees, and that it recognizes the process was hard on the retained employees as well as those who were let go. As with almost every employee interaction, the key is to listen to employees and treat them with dignity and respect. 

This article was featured in the March 6, 2009 issue of the Vancouver Business Journal.