Behind the HR Curtain
Adekunbi Bello
Dear Founder,
In today’s corporate world, downsizing is, unfortunately, a reality many companies must face to maintain financial stability. However, implementing such measures can be challenging and delicate, especially when preserving the company’s culture and values. One multinational corporation faced this situation when it entrusted one of its youngest HR managers with leading a significant downsizing initiative. In this blog post, we’ll explore the challenges of conducting layoffs humanely and respectfully and the importance of preserving cultural integrity during such difficult times.
Owning The Emotional Journey
When a large number of employees leave a company, it can be a challenging time emotionally. In one instance, an HR leader recognised the importance of being supportive and empathetic towards those affected. Without any pre-existing guidelines, she relied on her compassion to guide her through the situation.
During the planning stage, she worked closely with executives to ensure that costs were reduced without causing any harm to the employees. While offering severance packages and talking points provided some consolation, the most important thing was to show genuine care towards the affected individuals.
The HR leader knew that the situation weighed heavily on her and that angry, fearful, and grieving employees awaited her. Before informing them, she took a moment to prepare herself for the difficult conversations that lay ahead. Despite being in a position of authority, she saw herself as a listener and a source of comfort during this sad and challenging time.
Cultivating Connection and Care
On the day when the announcements were made about role eliminations, she stood with the leaders. She later came back to address individual needs, as the initial reactions were quite emotional. She focused on building connections through empathy in places where people felt vulnerable.
Over the next few days, she and her team took charge of the continuity plan, providing counselling, answering questions, and managing logistics sensitively. They dealt with emotional check-ins and family tensions while also addressing business requirements. Along with the necessary tasks, they provided support through encouragement, hugs, and spending time together as they said goodbye.
Shepherding A Cultural Shift
As the remaining employees grieved and tried to stabilise themselves, she avoided toxic positivity that could have diminished their sense of loss. Instead, she created space for both relief and remorse to coexist. She guided the leaders through the process of exchanging individual dignity and closure.
Even as they let go of some employees, they ensured connections with those leaving by coordinating alumni networks and capturing institutional knowledge.
Four years later, the executives still refer to the graceful empathy that guided otherwise clinical proceedings. The team was tasked with dismantling but not destroying. They found light in the darkness by re-centering their care for the employees who were most impacted by the changes. They forged a chapter on leadership that put humanity first during volatile times.
During times of volatility, HR must champion empathy as the North Star. The health of any culture is measured by how gracefully it exits people from the organization. Beyond essential compliance, leaders can choose to prioritise collective care. May the memory of this experience bring gratitude, fuel wisdom, and help lay the foundations for the future.
So long!
Kunbi
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