No organization is immune to the potential of layoffs. While it's never an easy decision to make, sometimes it's necessary to keep the business afloat. However, during a time when your employer brand risks taking a massive hit due to layoffs, you can potentially build upon your brand in other facets by developing skillsets of your talent pool within different departments, taking risks on employees, and allowing them their first leadership role, and being creative with your talent before letting departments or people go.
Develop Different Skill Sets Within Your Talent Pool: When you have to make the tough decision to let people go, think about what skillsets those individuals had that could be built upon within your remaining talent pool. Is there someone who was laid off from the marketing department who would be open to learning more about graphic design? Is there someone from sales who has always been interested in learning more about social media marketing? Use this as an opportunity to save on costs by having individuals wear multiple hats and develop a more well-rounded and skilled workforce. And as a bonus, your employees will appreciate the chance to learn new things and build upon their skill sets.
Take Risks On Employees & Allow Them Their First Leadership Role: Often, during layoffs, organizations will lose their top talent - the people who have been with the company for years and have been groomed for leadership roles. This can present an opportunity for those who are left behind. Take a chance on that high-potential individual who hasn't been with the company for very long, or give someone their first shot at leading a team. By doing so, you will help that individual grow in their career and show your remaining workforce that there are opportunities for growth within the company - even during tough times.
Be Creative With Your Talent Before Letting Departments or People Go: If possible, try to be creative with your talent before letting entire departments or people go. For example, could you reassign some of your customer service representatives to work in different departments, such as sales or marketing? Could you move some of your content creators to different divisions within the company, depending on their skill sets? By being creative with how you use your talent, you'll be able to keep more people employed and help different departments achieve their goals.
While there's no easy way to handle a layoff, if done correctly, it doesn't have to mean the end of your employer brand. It could be an opportunity to build upon your brand in other facets. So next time you're faced with the tough decision of layoffs, remember these tips on turning lemons into lemonade.
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