Supplied by Ana Adams from TQ Solutions - HR and Employment Consultants.
If you’re a SME owner or HR leader in a small to medium sized business, the unfortunate reality is that there will be some tough
conversations ahead. Here is a guide to help conduct these discussions as effectively as possible.
It is hard to believe how much our world has changed over the course of only a few weeks. As the world reels in reaction to this global
pandemic and economic crisis, business leaders are finding themselves facing into tough and completely unexpected decisions. Decisive
leadership is required to navigate through and protect the future of their business and their employees’ jobs.
Obviously, there is a lot to consider in a short space of time, and as business leaders you are likely considering all possible avenues and government support options to avoid role redundancies or reduction of your employee’s hours. But in many cases, leaders have reviewed the financials and their legal obligations and are finding themselves having to communicate partial or full stand downs of employees or even role redundancies.
These conversations are always tough. How well you communicate this news can have a big impact on your employee’s well-being and future loyalty. So here are a few tips on how to manage through these conversations in as respectful and supportive a way as possible:
Be honest. Often a leader’s first instinct is to reassure when the going gets tough rather than being honest. But this can backfire with a challenge this big and in the long term can create confusion and reduce trust and your credibility.
Be honest about the situation, the challenges and what is being considered. Being authentic and demonstrating trust will encourage those behaviours in return.
Let people know what has already been considered to avoid jobs being impacted.
Be clear that action needs to be taken now to try to help the business and people’s jobs survive this challenge.
Ask for ideas and opinions on what can be done to reduce costs or increase income.
If redundancies are being considered, ask people for other ideas on how this could be avoided, they may surprise you.
If you have to communicate a job loss or reduction in hours, the following principals should help:
Plan for the conversation. Know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Put yourself in their shoes and think
about their personal situation, what questions they may have, how this will impact them and what information they need to navigate through
the coming weeks. I normally suggest you pull together a script for this meeting, not to read verbatim from, but to ensure you have the
conversation clear in your mind before you begin.
Be authentic. It’s OK that this is a hard message to convey and a decision you don’t want to be taking… you can say and
show this, just don’t forget that ultimately the conversation is about and impacting on them the most, not you (so don’t overdo it)
Get to the point. With tricky conversations we can get nervous and over talk to fill the silence, this can confuse the conversation and detract from the key messages. I normally suggest that you quickly set the scene/environment and then focus in on what this means for the employee. If there are silences, ask questions and check on their understanding/welfare instead of over talking.
Recognise the impact of shock. It is common for employees to go into shock once a job impact is communicated, they may then not absorb much of what you say after that message is conveyed. Give them time to process the news and follow up with them the next day to make sure they understand what’s happening next. Put key details in writing if appropriate so they aren’t missed.
Provide support. Show respect and don’t rush it:
These types of conversations are seldom wanted and never easy. The above should help you support your employees through these tough conversations but be conscious also of the emotional toll that this can have on you as a leader. Utilise your own personal support network and take steps to protect and manage your own health and well-being so that you are in a better place to lead your employees through this challenging time.
At TQ Solutions we appreciate how hard this can be and the pressure that this is putting on business leaders. We are always happy to be a
sounding board or to roll up our sleeves to (virtually) help you support your business and employees through these turbulent times.
If this was helpful, and you would like to explore this or other HR matters, feel free to reach out and connect with HR Consultant Ana
Adams from TQ Solutions; Ana.adams@tqsolutions.com.au.
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