What to Say to Employees After a Layoff

When your company has to undergo a reduction in force or layoff event, there are many things to worry about. How do you notify those being let go? How do you provide outplacement support? What day should you hold the layoff meeting? You may also ask yourself what to say to employees after a layoff so that they remain confident in the company’s future.

These are all essential issues to ensure that the event runs smoothly, so as not to damage your reputation as a company or employer. This includes talking to your surviving staff members after the layoff and setting a good example while handling those situations.

This guide will help you better understand what to say to remaining employees after a layoff and how to motivate your workforce to make sure they don’t jump ship if you do ever need to hold a RIF or layoff.

To make sure that your remaining employees feel okay after a layoff, you first and foremost need to do your best to ensure that the reduction event goes off without a hitch. The key is to manage the event to the very best of your ability, providing those being let go with the best transition experience possible.

Departing employees are still crucial to your organization. They can tarnish your reputation on sites like Glassdoor or convince friends and old coworkers to stop using your products or abandon your company. In short, there is still an ROI for departing staff.

Not to mention that treating them well is simply the right thing to do. People should leave your organization with their heads held high, knowing that you’ve done everything in your power to support them. This will help minimize the negative impact of a layoff or RIF on both your departing and remaining employees.

Here are some best practices to help you hold the perfect layoff event:

• Build a solid termination policy to avoid confusion and even legal risks.
• Establish a layoff and recall policy if you intend to have any staff return later.
• Create a comprehensive layoff communication plan.
• Train the people tasked with delivering the bad news.
• Provide strong, comprehensive severance packages.
• Offer outplacement services—a key element for maintaining morale.

By holding the best possible layoff event, you’ll support departing employees while ensuring that your surviving staff stick around and stay engaged. Moreover, it will help protect your brand’s reputation while keeping your company an attractive option for new talent.

If you need additional help with structuring your reduction event, click below to download our Essential Guide to Handling a Layoff. Our step-by-step strategies will help you ensure a smooth transition for employees while protecting your company’s brand.

Just because someone wasn’t let go in a layoff doesn’t mean they aren’t worried that they will be next. They could also be upset about keeping their jobs while their friends are now unemployed.

Chances are, depending on your company size, surviving employees might feel emotional or distressed. This is normal. Emotions run high across the board during any reduction event.

Even if you are trying to stave off a layoff by using furloughs or other activities, employees will wonder if the business is somehow failing. Of course, this isn’t always the case—you could have held a reduction event because you’ve increased your tech stack and no longer need staff in specific jobs, for example. 

However, people are still likely to look at layoffs as a negative event. So when the layoff event is over, reinvigorate your surviving staff with clear and compassionate communication. Let’s explore some tips for what to say to remaining employees after a layoff.

You can hold a meeting before the layoff that explains to your staff what is happening and how the event will be carried out, and gives them time to ask questions. If you’d rather not hold one big meeting that details the whole process, many organizations prefer to use email or small meetings to manage the RIF or layoff.

After the layoff, a follow-up meeting is a great way to touch base with your remaining staff. This option gives them a way to ask their questions after the fact, and you’ll have the opportunity to address and calm their fears.

During this turbulent time, show integrity as a leader. Carry yourself with confidence and calmness to show—not just tell—your remaining staff why the layoff was necessary, that those let go have been given the tools to succeed, and how this will impact their day-to-day going forward.

Remember that honesty is the best policy during layoffs. Don’t go into your meeting trying to bend the truth or lie through omission. Your employees will see right through this, giving way to distrust and resentment.

How you communicate with staff after a layoff will largely depend on your organization and the ways you usually communicate. The best advice is to be calm, collected, and open. Be clear about the reasons for the reduction event and your organization’s business goals going forward.

If you treated your departing employees with respect and dignity and supported them through their successful transition, your surviving staff probably won’t worry as much. However, it’s nearly impossible to negate all of the stress from a layoff. No one wants to think they won’t have a job in the future.

If you send out an announcement or hold a meeting to address the layoff with remaining employees, make sure that you explain everything you’ve already explained to those you’ve let go. 

Here are some best practices for an empathic yet straightforward layoff announcement to remaining employees:

• Get to the point by keeping things short and direct.
• Share the business reasons for the layoff and how goals will adjust.
• Be ready with answers for all kinds of questions.
• Anticipate different scenarios and emotional reactions.
• Be supportive and encourage people to ask questions.
• Stay calm, no matter what your employees say or do.
• Explain the benefits offered to staff: outplacement, severance, etc.

To ensure a structured approach to your layoff communication, click below to download our Careerminds Layoff Script with five easy steps to help guide your teams through the layoff process with the empathy and professionalism they deserve.

When it comes to layoff communication, be open, honest, and willing to help everyone. Whether providing career transition support to those being let go or helping the remaining employees cope, it falls on you and your management team to navigate these troubled waters.

However, you’re not alone in this task. Take a look at our layoff script, sample layoff letter, and other resources to ensure that you have a solid communication plan. You can borrow a lot of these tips when crafting a small speech to give to retained staff after the event. This way, you’ll always know what to say to employees after a layoff to maintain trust within your organization.

Remember to consider outplacement services to help laid-off employees find a new role more quickly, reassuring them that they are in good hands and are more likely to land on their feet. This shows surviving staff that if they are ever laid off for any reason, they will have a support system in place.

Click below to speak with our experts and discover more about Careerminds’ modern, results-driven approach to outplacement. We might be the partners you need for an optimal layoff event.