How leaders can help employees to cross the bridge of uncertainty

As a leader in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) context, it is crucial that you learn how to navigate the ever-shifting landscape with grace and wisdom. Especially during mass layoffs, keeping the team members engaged with their job and guiding them to cross the bridge that connects uncertainty to a meaningful future is essential.

Leaders can play a critical role in supporting and guiding those who remain in the company by considering the six human needs. These six needs are the pillars that support the well-being and engagement of team members, even during challenging times.

The six human needs are:

1. Certainty
2. Variety
3. Significance
4. Connection
5. Growth
6. Contribution

1. Certainty is the foundation of stability, providing a sense of control and predictability. In a VUCA context, the future is uncertain, and the past is already gone, leaving the present moment as the only point of reference for certainty. By focusing on the present moment, leaders can help team members shift their attention from worrying about the future or regretting the past and instead focus on what they can control in the present moment. This includes setting goals, creating a plan of action, and focusing on the tasks at hand. Also, leaders must communicate openly and transparently, offering information and guidance to alleviate anxiety and uncertainty. By doing so, leaders can create a sense of stability, predictability, and control that can help employees to stay engaged with their job. Additionally, mindfulness practices can help cultivate a sense of presence and clarity, allowing team members to remain focused and calm in uncertainty. Mindfulness practices can include breathing exercises, meditation, or simply taking a few moments to pause and connect with the present moment.
2. Variety is the need for excitement, challenge, and stimulation. After mass layoffs, employees may feel stuck in their current roles or worry about their future career prospects. If leaders stop providing opportunities for learning and growth, employees may feel hopeless and helpless. In such a scenario, performance may spiral down very quickly. Leaders need to remind themselves and their teams that adversity can provide rich soil for skill development and psychological growth. While it is natural to associate trauma with adverse outcomes, such as depression and anxiety, research has shown that many people can experience positive changes due to trauma. Individuals can experience a sense of hope and possibility, even in the face of adversity. Leaders can be catalysts of growth for employees. They can do so by encouraging them to reframe and reimagine the unpreferred circumstances as opportunities for employees to develop their unique strengths, skills and human qualities.
3. Significance is the need for importance, recognition, and impact. After mass layoffs, it is vital to ensure that team members feel valued and appreciated by providing positive feedback, encouragement, appreciation, recognition, and opportunities for skill development. Leaders should recognize the work of their team members, praise their contributions even 'louder' than they would typically do, and create a sense of accomplishment by showing them how their work significantly impacts the team's and company's goals. Leaders should also remember that practising gratitude has been linked to improved mental health and overall well-being. Employees feeling appreciated can boost their self-esteem, reduce stress, and improve their mood. This can lead to better job satisfaction and reduced burnout.
4. Connection is the human need for belonging and community, allowing team members to build relationships and create a shared purpose. When thousands of people are laid off from an organization, it can significantly impact human connection and a sense of belonging. Layoffs can create fear and instability among remaining employees, who may feel vulnerable and anxious about their job security. This can result in a breakdown of trust between employees and leaders, as well as among colleagues. Moreover, layoffs can disrupt the network of relationships within the organization. Many employees form close relationships with their colleagues and may feel a sense of shared purpose with their team. When people are laid off, these relationships are abruptly severed, leading to a sense of isolation and loss. Furthermore, layoffs can create a culture of survivor guilt among remaining employees, who may feel guilty for keeping their jobs while their colleagues were let go. In this scenario, leaders should create opportunities for employees to express their feelings and needs safely. Encourage them to connect, form support groups and ask for help. Also, ensure your communication is as transparent as possible, and foster a culture of empathy and inclusion.
5. Growth is the need for progress, development, and self-improvement. Mass layoffs can be a challenging experience for those who remain with the company while also bringing unexpected opportunities for skill development and personal growth. In normal circumstances, leaders should encourage and support their team members' growth by providing learning, development, and feedback opportunities. In addition, uncertainty can be a forcing function that may bring unexpected gifts to employees. In psychology, a forcing function is an intervention intended to compel or prompt an individual to behave in a certain way or engage in a specific action. Forcing functions often help individuals overcome behavioural barriers or habits that may prevent them from achieving their goals or making progress. An example of a forcing function is reminders to encourage individuals to exercise or engage in other healthy behaviours. In the organizational context, leaders can encourage employees to use uncertainty as a daily reminder to compile a list of certainties that make them feel strong, confident and hopeful. In practical terms, this could be a daily one-minute exercise of writing down one to three things that contributed to your growth on that day.
6. Contribution is the need for meaning, purpose, and impact. When employees feel uncertain about their future in the organization, leaders must take proactive steps to ensure they still feel a sense of contribution and purpose in their work. Leaders can help employees feel valued and engaged during times of uncertainty by giving them a sense of control and autonomy in their work and recognizing their contribution meaningfully. When navigating uncertainty, you must remind your team members that their work has purpose, meaning and impact. Interestingly, uncertainty can be experienced as both a loss and a source of meaning. New job responsibilities, for example, can be perceived as an opportunity to contribute in new ways and, simultaneously, as a loss of the purpose and meaning we had built in a previous role. Acknowledging these conflicting thoughts as a normal experience can help employees transition smoothly into new roles and responsibilities.

In summary, being a successful leader in a VUCA context requires understanding and leveraging the six human needs to support and guide team members through challenging times. After mass layoffs, it is essential to create a sense of stability, provide opportunities for growth and development, recognize the contributions of team members, foster a sense of community, and connect their work to the company's broader mission and purpose. Leaders can keep their team members engaged with their job, even in difficult times.