I think I'm going to be expected to make 80% of my team redundant

[Dotsroses]

I manage a team of 22 people spread around five sites. Last year we had to shut one of the sites and there were several redundancies, all but one of which was managed on a voluntary basis. Several of the remaining team asked whether their jobs were secure and my manager and I assured them there were no plans to close any more sites or make anyone else redundant.

In recent weeks management have discussed the option of shutting all but one site and reducing the team to four, maybe five, people. I've been told that whatever the outcome of discussions, my position is safe. The closures aren't due to any failure of the team, but because of general financial uncertainty mainly related to the US situation.

They're a good team. Many of them have been working for the company for a decade or more: several are in their late 40s and 50s. I have strong relationships with at least half of them. They are good people. Our work has often required flexibility and ingenuity (particularly during Covid) and they have been great. This afternoon I'm due to attend a meeting where I think my worst suspicions will be confirmed. If it's handled anything like last time I'll be the one expected to make the announcement.

Has anyone here ever had to do this? What happened? How did you manage the situation? What do you say? What are the things to avoid doing? I'm absolutely dreading it.

I have not done it but been on the receiving end a few times.

Have a script to read, agreed with management and HR. Don't deviate from it.
Make sure you know what the process will be. Will there be collective consultation or individual? Know timescales. Tell them who to go to for questions about their individual circumstances.
Don't promise anything you don't know for absolute sure.
Give people time. Schedule it at a time where people can step out or step away from their desks for a bit. Expect a productivity drop for a few days if not longer.

I'm sure others will have things to add.

As tempting as it is, I would avoid either softpedaling the message or implying, or telling them, that you don't agree with the decision. False hope isn't helpful.

The best you can do for them is 1) be compassionately clear about what is happening; 2) tell them it is no reflection on them, their skills, and their service; 3) be prepared to answer as many of their questions about the process and the timelines as you can, and about what help and support the company will give.

All you can do is being honest and make sure they know exactly what redundancy package and support they will be getting.

On a wider point OP I don't think this sounds like a company that has a long term future...They had voluntary redundancies now compulsory ones and it will be really difficult for the remaining staff to be expected to still meet targets with less people to do the work.

As a manager you are also losing the majority of your direct reports so I don't think you should feel secure in your job either....especially as the company has a track record of making promises about jobs being secure that they can't keep.

If I were you I would start looking at other opportunities.

On a wider point OP I don't think this sounds like a company that has a long term future...They had voluntary redundancies now compulsory ones and it will be really difficult for the remaining staff to be expected to still meet targets with less people to do the work.

The part of the company I manage was acquired some years ago when the parent company bought another one. We're pretty periperhal to the main business which is international and an SME here in the UK. Imagine that the main part of the business manufactures and markets a range of products and my little part of the business runs fitting, service and repair centres here in the UK for some of the product range. Not an exact analogy, but close enough. There were plans to expand the main business but Trump's shenanigans have put an end to that. I may find out this afternoon what role they plan to offer me — if they're going to offer me one.

Thanks for the earlier suggestions. I feel as if I need a script. And more than anything else, I need to know what NOT to say. I realise that many of them will be very angry with me and blame me and I know that saying 'I'm just the messenger' will make things worse for them.

I think this is one of those times as a manager when you just need to cultivate broad shoulders and suck it up, given that you're presumably keeping your job, tbh. It sucks for you, but remind yourself that their anger isn't about you or yours to carry and vent to a friend or partner about how unfair it is afterwards.

TBH I’m pretty sure that once you’ve done their dirty work you’ll lose your job too. Once you’ve made the vast majority of your team redundant you don’t have much of a job left.

I'd dig my heels in on this one if I were you. They used you to do their dirty work last time when it was mostly voluntary. This time is much bigger and as a result of corporate strategy, so I think any announcement should come from corporate level.

Whenever I've had to do this, my role has swiftly followed! It's not unusual, particularly at the moment.

Hopefully HR will guide you completely with comms messaging etc. You may want to 'be honest' as others have said, but this often isn't the right thing to do, so take guidance from HR. For example, if Administration is likely, the messaging tends to be extremely strictly positive, even though everyone knows it is untrue. This is just a game you have to play to do stuff legally.

Good luck OP. Grim times.

Don't cry, that was rubbish when my director did it. Kind, factual, advise them to seek legal advice, keep it brief so they can go lick their wounds.

It’s a shit situation OP, and unfortunately you will likely be the person on the receiving end of your team’s fear and anger.

On a practical level have as much information as you can for them, and I think having a script is a really good idea.

On an emotional level you are going to have to remember why you wanted a managerial role and what the good days look like because the next few months are likely to be shit - if you can accept that and start preparing for it, relying on support from your partner etc then that will help.

Im sure you will deliver the bad news with empathy and kindness.
A fellow manager I work with had to do something similar and her team felt she delivered the news without compassion and in a robotic matter of fact way. It didn’t help how they felt.
You sound like you really care about your team so Um sure you will be.

The axe hasn't fallen all the way — yet. They're closing two more sites at the end of September. The people at those sites will be offered the opportunity to move to the other sites, but they know darn well that for most it will be an impossibility. The sites are regional and most people have children in schools, houses, spouses with their own established careers.

Is it ethical to quietly tell the remaining staff, strictly off the record, to start looking for new work? Or can I only hint?

Is it ethical to quietly tell the remaining staff, strictly off the record, to start looking for new work?

I wouldn't. Some of the more cynical ones might think it is a ploy - encouraging people to leave so the company doesn't have to pay them redundancy money.

It could also lose OP her own job, if it's viewed as sharing confidential information.

I'm sure most people will read the writing on the wall after multiple site closures. I agree that I wouldn't hint or tell people.

I've been on the receiving end recently. It was handled very poorly in that the manager delivering the news continuously made it about her and how stressed it was making her, she wasn't at risk. I'd say make sure you know all the facts. Deal with it factually and businesslike. Staff need to know facts, timelines, pay offs etc, not emotionally laden platitudes. Kind words can come much later after they know what's what and timeframes. Really keep it business like and remember it's not about you.

The smart ones will start looking anyway.

You don’t need to say it, they’ll know

You cannot tell them.

What you CAN do is implement coaching and mentoring for your team - to help them identify (with you and collectively) their skills, weaknesses, and things they’d like to work on/experience they’d like to get.

You have to be careful about what you say, and make sure you aren’t keeping internal records so no one thinks it’s for a redundancy program - it’s for them to think about and make any notes they wish.

The way you can (1) give support that a good company does anyway and (2) be proactively helping them position themselves for the job market in the event the axe does fall.

I’ve been here. I kept telling myself I couldn’t influence the decision to make redundancies but I could influence my colleagues being treated with dignity and respect- and saying that I didn’t agree or was only the messenger wasn’t respectful to them.

Give them time to process and come back with questions and make sure all legal procedures are followed.

Just to echo what what someone else has said , your job isn’t safe. So I would worry about yourself first and start looking around for new work. Play everything by the book at your current job, don’t give hints as to what is happening as that just makes your job more difficult. Try not to worry and seriously look for new opportunities as a priority.

I’ve done it several times I’m afraid. What I’ve learned over the years

be honest and as transparent as
possible

treat people with maximum respect and empathy

be thoroughly prepared- anticipate the questions and have the answers ready

remember though you’ve got a job to do and be professional

accept that there will be emotions, anger, hurt and allow space for this don’t expect people to get straight back to work

going forward over communicate, keep talking, keep listening- no matter how uncomfortable you feel

Is it ethical to quietly tell the remaining staff, strictly off the record, to start looking for new work? Or can I only hint?

absolutely do not do this.

quick way to get yourself dismissed and unprofessional

Having been through a redundancy situation recently, and come out the other side of it, I can tell you that even if you don't tell those remaining to start looking, many of them will see the writing on the wall, and start looking for themselves.

My advice is to be as honest and empathetic as you can be, while remaining firm and clear in what is happening. Do not introduce any hint of ambiguity, and don't try and lean on your impacted colleagues for support in the crappy time you are experiencing going through this. (I once had a manager moan to me how hard it was going through the process of making people redundant. I was in the at risk pool. She was spectacularly self centred.)

Do seek some support elsewhere though, it's a horrible experience for anyone who cares about their team, and you should make sure you have someone outside of the situation to give you some moral support.