Having to temporarily lay off employees during a pandemic shouldn’t mean that you lose the loyalty of your staff. In most non-profit organizations, employees are your greatest asset. They are the ones who already buy in to the values of the organization and its impact in the community and they are proud to promote that work in their circle of influence, despite a lower compensation rate than their corporate counterparts. Lockdown layoffs are not the time to ignore that commitment since you risk losing employee commitment to the mission and values of the organization. These losses have a much greater impact on individuals and the community than simple job loss; the kind of impact non-profit organizations really can’t afford.
It might seem counterintuitive, but layoff time is the perfect time to reinvest in your staff, not only to maintain their loyalty, but also to show your staff that what you say you value as a community organization applies to them as well. If you say you value respect and honesty as a community organization, you need to be honest with your staff and respect their contribution to your mission. Staff who feel ignored or disrespected aren’t likely to promote the organization to others. You have to commit to your staff even when they are laid off if you want them to continue their commitment to your organization.
How can you do that? Here are some suggestions.
Communication
If you aren’t already an organization that communicates well, this is the perfect time to become one that does. The value of good communication throughout your organization cannot be understated.
Communicate often – at least bi-weekly. This might seem like an extra burden for managers or senior staff, but it’s essential. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have new information to pass along. What matters is that you let your staff know they haven’t been forgotten in the pandemic confusion and that they are valued and respected members of a greater mission in the community.
Communicate clearly. Be up front with your staff about when they can expect to return to work and what they can expect the working conditions to be when they return. If you don’t know the answers to those questions, tell them. Be clear about what you know and be honest about what you don’t know. Don’t force your staff make assumptions about what is going on at the upper levels of management with respect to decision-making – because they will. People will fill an information vacuum with speculations of their own, whether they are accurate or not. Protect your reputation and integrity by filling the vacuum with precise information that you and your employees value.
Communicate care. Acknowledge that your employees are living through a difficult time. They struggle with fear and anxiety and financial stress. They are worried about whether they will still have a job when this is all over. They may be frustrated accessing employment insurance or other subsidies. They may have friends or family members who are sick and they aren’t able to visit. They may have a household full of children trying to learn remotely. Remind them that even in a lockdown they aren’t alone and they haven’t been forgotten – particularly by an organization that cares about its community. If you are able, offer them increased EAP benefits. Create an online community for them to participate in. Capitalize on some of your employee’s interests and suggest organizing online interest groups. Facilitate occasional outdoor activities that maintain public health guidelines. Design a buddy system for employees who may not be well connected to their colleagues. There are many ways to let your staff know you care about them – be creative!
Transparency
Transparency is about honest communication. Whether your organization is hierarchical or team-oriented, no one likes to be kept in the dark about job security, the financial impact of the situation, or what kinds of decisions management must consider. It won’t be a secret that your organization is struggling financially; staff were laid off for a reason. Be up front with the numbers and what those numbers mean. If you have received government grants to get through the pandemic, let staff know how that money has been spent. Employees who remain laid off will wonder why they haven’t benefited from wage-subsidy programs. If funds have gone toward keeping other areas of your organization afloat, be clear about how decisions about organizational priorities have been made. Non-profit organizations have an obligation to their donors and to the community they serve to demonstrate responsible decision-making and spending. Show your staff that same respect by communicating transparently with them.
Invest in your people
Laid off employees have a lot of time on their hands! Are there things they could be learning in order to develop their skills? Are there online workshops, webinars or conferences they could either attend or develop and offer to other employees in your organization? Are there particular skills they have that haven’t yet been capitalized on but could be? There is always something new to learn. Showing your employees that you care about their professional development demonstrates that you value their contribution to the organization.
It will be worth it!
Thinking through how your organization can support laid off employees during a lockdown might reveal some areas where your organization could do better in general. Non-profit organizations have the potential to be workplaces that micro-model the values and mission that the organization hopes to achieve in the community on a larger scale. And they have a greater responsibility to be the kind of organization whose mission and values for the community actually reflect who they are. The suspended time of lockdowns and layoffs are the perfect time for reevaluating how well your organization is doing in this area and to making some changes if necessary.
It might not seem like it’s your job to hold your employees hands through such challenging times, and managers likely have a lot on their plate already. But investing a little extra in your staff will result in staff who return to work more loyal than they were when they left, and who more enthusiastically model the values of the organization because they have experienced first hand those benefits themselves. They will return to work with a healthy mindset and energized to work because they feel like respected and valued members of a team.
Your employees are your greatest asset, whether they are currently working or not. Your investment in them is essential if you want to be seen as an organization with integrity in your community. And, if you invest with compassion, transparency, and honesty, everybody wins!