Layoffs - Building Confidence- Only HR Can do this

The HR Journey in Industrial world crossing a century,may be with a different names but fundamental principals are same.We studies Edwin Flippo - Principals of Personnel Management,two decades back but still they are only fundamentals.I would like to recall one of the principal we learned,

"Organizations as a sub system of the society taking a healthy Individual from main stream of society to work and deliver for organization have moral responsibility to put him back in main stream society in healthy manner"

In the current scenario of Lay offs,i feel the following actions required by an HR Professional

1. Prepare Employee for truth- HR Professionals have to spend enough time and have to give enough time for employee to receive the truth.Call him/her asking put down papers or pressurizing to give resignation letter is not a right approach.It might make your boss happy but it will damage Organization reputation very badly in the long run.We carry an assumption saying after we deliver the news,employee spoil the environment but in reality its all depends the way you deliver the news and reasons you are showing for ask him to go.Its an emotional news to employee and we we fail to manage his emotions ,after he leaves the organization,there is a possibility he will write adverse comments in social media,that will be more damaging.

2.Follow Conditions of Employment- I know it easy to say to follow Conditions of Employment.But i strongly recommend,we should follow,what i mean when we expect employee to follow certain condition like discipline,work delivery with quality,Organizational norms,employees also expects the same from Organizations.For employee HR is responsible for this processes.Like Notice period,HR have to adhere as per the employment terms.If in case we have to convince Management about this,i feel we have influence top management to adhere and we have to take up the role of Employee advocate.

3.Managing the emotions and performance of the left employees.This is the biggest challenge for any HR Professional to manage after the lay offs.The morale will be very low and fear will be in air.HR have to communicate very clearly to all employees on further organization goals and challenges and how the employees can contribute to the next level of Growth.We have to set expectations to in a SMART Way

4.Fill the confidence in Supervisors and Managers-The real stress who will face in this situation is the supervisors and Managers.They have to take decision on whom to lay off.End of the day they manage people and know the emotions of the employees who are asked to go.HR have to spend enough time to fill positiveness with them and help them to come our of feeling of guilt. -We might always say its their job but they are also carry human emotions.

5.HR Prime role in reducing number of Lay offs- I feel beside managing lay offs,HR have to play a vital role reducing the number of lay offs through preparing Organizations for the Change Management.HR have to observe very closely about the changes in customer expectations,Industry changes and geo political changes.Looking at Customer changes,look at an IT Industry,we all are aware the expectations are changing gradually about productivity and cost.It might through technological changes like Automation.The new technologies like Cloud,Big Data,Analytic s,AI and IoT is going to influence the entire Industry.Its not only IT,may be tomorrow we will see Robots only run the factories.We have to prepare our Organizations people with various approaches like Re Skilling,building competencies to take higher Technology innovations and preparing top management in eventualities.