Redundancies leave a trail of devastation in their wake, and not just for those who've been laid off. The employees left behind are more vulnerable to dysfunctional behaviour - and they'll be looking to your for support.
Boost creativity: Creativity flags after downsizing, so managers should encourage team building and provide challenging, stimulating work to get things fired up again.
Calm the team: Managers need to help employees to see the downsizing process as fair, allay their fears, and set out a clear roadmap of possible future redundancies.
Minimise turnover: Voluntary departures can increase substantially after a round of redundancies, which can leave you short-staffed and struggling. Foster a culture of honesty with a solid HR policy and reap the benefits of talking - and avoid the walking.
Retain your heroes: Pay special attention to your high performers, helping them to see that downsizing opens up real opportunities for them. It does. So learn to communicate and keep them on-side.
