Downsizing, layoffs and reductions in force...whatever you want to call them, are tough. Being prepared is so very important. There's a lot on the line here, feelings, reputations and livelihoods should all be treated with respect. Thinking back to meeting planning 101, this meeting should have a structure, including a beginning, middle and end. CareerMinds has taken the guess work out of this structure by breaking down the seven steps to a layoff meeting.

The Beginning from the Manager

Get straight to the point. This is awkward enough without starting off with small talk. This can feel abrupt, but you're doing no one any favors by circling around a point for an hour. Immediately notify the employee of the layoff and give them the real reason. Handing the employee a load of bull about why this is happening will only come back to haunt you. Stick to the truth and make it brief.

The Middle from the Manager and Human Resources

This is the portion where you give them the floor and only respond when prompted. Don't interrupt, listen. They might have to take a load off their chest, or they might want to get out of that meeting as soon as possible with few words to exchange. Do not, we repeat, do not engage in an argument or plea. This is a final decision and no amount of talk will change it. Engaging in an argument will not only leave you with a pit in your stomach, it can lead to legal action and a serious dent in your employer brand.

The Middle from Human Resources

This is the outplacement part! Sorry, we get excited about outplacement. Any good severance package will include outplacement. This is perhaps one of the most important tools you can offer a laid off employee. The types of tailored services that companies like CareerMinds offer are vital to make sure employees don't skip a beat. Monetary compensation is not the end-all, be-all of benefits. It's helps, obviously, but what they really need at this point is employment, and outplacement services help them find just that.

Go over the services that your particular outplacement provider offers. Lead them through the process and let them know about any caps that you might be putting on these services. Some outplacement services assess rates by time and others by service. The process of your particular outplacement service should be made clear to the employee.

Take this opportunity to go over their severance benefits. You should clearly define what the employee can expect from you. How and when severance will be paid, and the amount should all be in writing and understood by all parties. Health care, 401ks, pensions and paperwork should be done before they leave. If they wish to leave immediately, you should make it clear that these matters can only be attended to at a scheduled time.

The Middle from the Manager

Here the manager will take the discussion back to understand what work that is critical that they need to be aware of. It's not a crazy idea that all parties can move forward in a respectful manner. If you treat them with respect, they will in turn give your the courtesy of making sure all of their ducks are in a row. Go over incomplete work and what would have been future projects.

The End from Human Resources

Here you should touch on EAPs which are intended to help manage issues in their personal lives. Employee assistance programs are usually a free service offered by employees that provide assessments, support, counselors and/or referrals. These services are often extended to family members as well. The more you can offer in the way of getting these former employees back in the workforce, the better. In closing, again, keep it short and sweet. Don't apologize, this isn't personal, and it's not your fault. Having said that, stay respectful and honest throughout the meeting. They don't want your pity and they most certainly don't want your attitude. A good rule of thumb is to always speak to them like you would like to be spoken to.

These steps should prepare you for a successful layoff meeting. This is never an easy meeting to hold, but being prepared will ensure a smooth and professional delivery. This person is being let go for the good of the organiztion, whether that means improving the bottom line, or improving your talent pool. But keep in mind the ultimate goal is getting this worker back in the workforce as soon as possible. This will ensure great employer branding, the saving of office morale and simply that the right thing is done.

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Convenience is a main selling point of e-learning. With web-based materials, employees can access lessons anytime, anywhere. And they can study for as long as they want. Traditionally, the employee would only have access to the information for the duration of the training session. When employees have 24/7 access to this information, flexibility is truly appreciated. Employees today already have trouble with a work-life balance. Why not make things a little easier?

Quite often, when employees need to be trained, they end up going to a remote location, leaving the office a barren waste land, and impeding everyday work productivity. With e-learning, employees can stay in their work environment and divide their time better. So much time and money are wasted on conferences and training session, when the alternative saves time and money.

This convenience not only benefits the trainee, but also the trainer. When someone has to take time out of their day to train another employee or group, it slows the entire office down. Not to mention, there is training the trainer to consider. All of the resources that are saved in the trickle-down add up quickly.

Secondly, cost is a huge push factor for e-learning. Generally speaking, on-line training methods are far more cost effective than traditional means of teaching. When the cost is lowered, the company can then raise the bar of their training and expand their employee audience. By spreading knowledge further, companies are advancing toward their goals.

Smaller companies do end up with higher rates, as they need to be more tailored. However, when companies commission the creation of these e-learning tools, they are often used for years to come, and they make training easy and efficient.

E-learning is also great because it streamlines the information that everyone receives. Through the creation of good educational content, companies can offer a consistent method of training and teaching. When each employee receives the same information at the right time in their training, it ensures that everyone is learning the same things at the same rate. Traditional methods of training can get complicated and confusing when you consider different teaching styles and strengths. No two people are going to deliver the same lesson time after time.

When companies are considering implementing e-learning in their workplace, there are a few things to consider from e-learning expert, Trina Rimmer.

On choosing a designer: “When you pay for good design you’re buying more than just good looks. You’re paying for the expertise of someone who knows what to ask and how to ask you all of the hard questions so you’ll actually SAVE time, money and agony in the long run.”

On the matter of time: “One industry guideline many of us consult is a study from the Chapman Alliance which states that it generally takes 49 hrs to develop every 1 hr of basic, click & read eLearning. That’s just a guideline of course. Your goals may require the use of complex simulations or branching scenarios that push that timeline out, or your interests may be best served by developing another solution entirely.”

On considering e-learning a tech solution: “If you or your team are uncomfortable with technology, don’t force yourselves to become eLearning experts. Instead, invest some time and money into becoming better informed in the long-term, and in the short-term, outsource the design and development to experts who can coach you through the process.”

E-learning is rapidly growing and improving. From gamification to social collaboration and mobile apps, e-learning is the future of workplace education. This isn't a passing trend, so the quicker companies get onboard, the better.

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Additionally, from the perspective of these businesses keeping afloat during the recession, the added benefit of going green with telecommuting was a big reason that companies shifted away from the traditional workplace model. Again, using Cisco as a model, their employees stopped 47,320 metric tons of greenhouse gases from being released. Cisco's employees also saved $10.3 million in fuel costs each year by telecommuting.

The savings for companies and the reduction in greenhouse emmisions together were the leading factors in creating telecommuting options during the recession. But the economic climate has changed, and so has how we look at telecommuting. There used to be a focus on telecommuting's money saving benefits, but the benefits for the employees force employers to consider offering it as a reward. We are now faced with the question of how to present telecommuting opportunities to our workers. Is telecommuting a strategy or a reward?

As a strategy, there are undeniable benefits for the company. Besides the money saving and green traits of telecommuting, there is also the reported boost in productivity. Of the 2,000 telecommuters surveyed:

• 75% of respondents said their work was more timely when telecommuting
• 83% said their ability to communicate with co-workers was the same or better than in the office
• 67% claimed that the overall quality of their work improved.
• 91% said telecommuting was important to their overall job satisfaction. 

Telecommuting also cuts down on unforeseeable issues like inclimate weather, family considerations and sick days. It has also been proven that offering telecommuting options has lead to higher retention rates.

Telecommuting also lends workers more time to dedicate to work. When you consider getting office-ready, commuting and travel for lunch, a lot of time is saved. It is estimated that of the time that employees save staying at home for work, they give back 60% of that to the company.

When telecommuting is presented as a reward, it is a great opportunity to use this mutually beneficial tool as an empoloyee incentive. The intrinstic work-home balance that telecommuting lends workers is considered the number one benefit of telecommuting by employees.

Following a telecommuter through a day at home, you see the benefits throughout the entire day. At the very beginning of the day they get more time to sleep, have breakfast, enjoy their coffee or get other errands accomplished before their work day begins. Commuter time and getting ready time are eliminated. And the gas that is saved on the commute adds up quite quickly at two days per week.

During the work day, telecommuters get to enjoy the more comfortable, low stress environment of their own homes. With less distraction and a quiter atmosphere, employees are far more productive.

Additionally, although telecommuting shouldn't be intended as an alternative to childcare, there are snow days, sicks days and holidays that often keep employees from going to work. These types of unavoidable issues cut into worker's vacations and PTO.

It's obvious that there is a strong case for using telecommuting options as both a reward and a company strategy. Each organization is different, so which way to approach telecommuting will be different for everyone. A nice balance of using the benefits of telecommuting as incentive while using them for driving the success of the organization is the goal here. Being aware of the benefits to both the employee and the company is the key to using these mutually beneficial options optimally.

Learn more about virtual teams and telecommuting with our June 11 webinar, The Virtual Workforce: What is HR's role? It's complimentary and you'll earn HRCI credit. 

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The U.S. economy is slowly but surely bouncing back from the '07 recession, but employers are still reluctant to hire until they are comfortable in the new economic climate. Unemployment rates are undeniably better than the last few years, but the U.S. is still hovering around 8%. Downsizing and layoffs are still a common occurrence.

As an employer, you are expected to offer outplacement, but kick it up a notch. Investing in a superior outplacement program helps former employees get back to work faster, makes current employees feel more secure post-transition and boosts the company brand long-term.

Former employees don't just need money (although it helps), they need tools and support that is unique to your industry and their needs. Often, when employees are laid off, they are offered a pretty standard severance package to help keep them afloat while they search for another job. But what about the searching for another job part? For many that is not in their specific toolset. Outplacement offers them the tools they need to land on their feet and keep on going.

Get the search up and going, give them the tools and point them in the right direction. Starting with some guidance in networking (especially social) can make a huge difference in speedy job placement. Networking has steadily grown to become the number one means of landing a job.

A large part of networking is social media. Most job seekers are partially aware of the importance of social media in a job search, however, there are still those stubborn tech stragglers that have no clue what they're doing in the social media realm. Don't just assume that everyone knows what they're doing when it comes to social media. Instruction in this area should be extensive and start from the bottom. Again, many outplacement programs are insisting on this as part of their offering.

Furthermore, instruction on job boards and how to utilize them will be immensely helpful. Again, not everyone knows how to make these tools work for them. In fact, many top-notch job search tools aren't available to the average jobseeker, as they would be cost-prohibitive. Outplacement programs can help with this. Because they work with so many jobseekers all the time, these tools are often part of their offerings, giving those transitioning access to Hoovers-like information for less.

Many of these workers will have not updated their resume in years. Offer them assistance, workshops and professional feedback on their resumes. A detailed look from this side of HR can get them current on resume practices, what to zero in on in their experience section and show them how to overcome obstacles like layoffs, lack of education and other stumbling blocks.

Offering mentorship programs will create long-lasting social networks within your company and foster a healthy culture where employees and former employees serve one another. Baby boomers are ideal for this role. The feedback from baby boomers indicates that they want to work less, but they're not ready for retirement. Outplacement services offer this by their very nature. The virtual nature of Ouplacement 2.0 programs (like Careerminds) makes it even more personal by assuring the transitioning employee that their career consultant is just a phone call or email away. Seasoned professional figures in their field are a great source of information and guidance. But make sure that whatever program you move forward with insists on background checks and some certification before unleashing them on the jobseeking public.

Make your services memorable and unique by thinking outside the box. Think about what your former employees' needs and wants are as they go through this time of transition. This is easier to do when you keep the lines of communication open and engage these former employees. Lectures and workshops are find and dandy, but what about child care while they build up their network and go on interviews? Think of new ways to help that will be truly beneficial to those using the outplacement service.

Outplacement cuts down on the time spent unemployed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the average unemployed duration for American workers is about 10.5 months. The use of virtual outplacement services has gotten that time down to an average 3 months. Outplacement works and it's becoming common practice, but the point here isn't to be common, it's to be better.

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The Build Up

When considering a RIF, first clearly define your goals as a company. Whether that's a numbers issue, an expansion thing, or simply keeping your ship afloat, ask yourself, “Will this help me get there?” This is crucial step that many leaders overlook. When times are difficult or there is change in the air, some companies may have a knee-jerk reaction and immediately think layoffs.
 
Once you've determined that reducing your workforce is the best option for your company, compose a team to help you implement the RIF. This team should be as diverse as possible: men, women, different races, different age groups and from different areas of the company. Clearly define the parameters for who is staying with the organization and who is being let go. Be consistent and as fair-minded as possible. Ensure that everyone on the team is exempted from current or future reduction. While this is a popular misstep by leadership in movies, no one wants it to happen in their organization. If you are planning to let someone go, keep them off the team.
 
Make plans for where the work will go. Know the skills and abilities of your key players. Be realistic about what can be shared and what might be lost. Additionally, consider what your remaining workers might want as compensation for this added workload. Knowing what makes your workers tick is vital. Time off, loose social media policies, work from home options and other small and inexpensive perks are great options to offer pre-emptively. Go granular with managers on both of these areas; they'll be able to give you a heads up as to which members of the team can handle it and what the remaining employees will need to stay productive.
 
Do your research on a good outplacement firm, they are not all made equal. Offering former employees a safety net during this scary time lets shows the company values their time. It can also help ease the guilt and uncertainty that remaining employees may feel. And while it's tempting to think recruiting is not tremendously important during a frustrating layoff cycle, don't forget about the all-important employer brand. When even your ex-employees speak highly of your company, you're doing something right.

The Explosion

Respect is the key word. Conduct the whole process with respect for all of your employees. Think about how you would feel and what you would or wouldn't want to hear at a time like this. While every company has specific guidelines for reducing the workforce, avoid going through the process as if it is rote, even if you have to layoff ten people in a row. Your goal is to give them a dignified exit.
 
The termination should be swift and without apologies, they don't want to be in that little room any more than you want to be, do them the service of sparing the speeches and beating around the bush. Excuses, emotion and stories about you do the soon-to-be-transitioned employee very little good.
 
Follow this talk up quickly with what you can offer in the way of help and compensation. Have packages, information and outplacement options ready. Now is not the time to go hunting for scattered papers and passwords. Create a packet for each employee and make sure they understand their options, even if things get emotional.

The Aftermath

We can't stress outplacement enough. It reduces the time of unemployment, gives your former employees networking skills and personal branding knowledge, lends piece of mind to both your former and current emloyees, and again, does wonders for your employer brand. Virtual outplacement has even higher placement rates and offers a much better ROI for your company.
 
A RIF can leave an office uncertain and stressed out. Keep communication lines open between the RIF team, managers and front-line employees. Be as honest and forthcoming as possible about the status of the company. A distracted workplace is an unproductive workplace. Don't keep 'em guessing.