Parting ways: Empathic employee separations

Employee separations happen during good times and bad. Whether terminating an employee with cause or having to manage a workforce reduction due to a facility closing, employment loss is fraught with emotion and uncertainty. The employer has made a decision that rarely lands favorably with the employee. Added to the elements of unpredictability are alignment with WARN Act or state mini-WARN requirements, whether severance packages need to be offered and if the employer hopes to rehire the employee at some point in the future.

It’s important to remember that employees were hired for their skills and qualifications in the first place. On-the-job learning and development advanced these credentials and increased the employee’s value to the organization and, potentially, the served market. From the employee’s perspective, they’ve been asked to “bring their whole self” to work and participate in cultures framed as families. A termination not only impacts the employees separating from the organization; it also significantly impacts those remaining behind. 

Whether voluntary or involuntary, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of the workforce leaves their jobs annually. One in 10 employees are asked to leave by their company as part of a workforce reduction. A rarely illuminated fact is that one in 20 is ultimately rehired, according to LinkedIn. No laws prevent an employer from rehiring a laid-off employee. Yet, why would the employee want to return if the initial separation wasn’t handled with empathy?

Parting ways is painful; however, leaders can take compassionate and practical steps to wish employees well in their career journeys while leaving the door open, when it makes sense. 

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Source: Talent Management Magazine