ProQuestDocuments-2016-02-02.pdf Each team member should answer all of the questions:What is the problem presented in the article?Why do you think it is the problem?What are some possible solutions?Write a 3-paragraph synopsis that summarizes the team’s discussion. In APA format.The article is attached above._______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Report Information from ProQuest
February 02 2016 08:48
_______________________________________________________________
02 February 2016
ProQuest
Table of contents
1. Mismanaged layoffs can go ‘horribly wrong’……………………………………………………………………………………. 1
02 February 2016
ii
ProQuest
Document 1 of 1
Mismanaged layoffs can go ‘horribly wrong’
Author: Bouw, Brenda
ProQuest document link
Abstract (Abstract): “It’s traumatic to the remaining staff – the survivors – and can create fear and resentment,”
Mr. [Mark Swartz] adds. “People in fear don’t want to take the kind of healthy risks an employer needs to rise
above its average.”
Links: Linking Service
Full text: Most managers are trained to handle a corporate crisis, but when it comes to the dreaded task of
terminating employees, not enough do it well, experts say.
When breaking the news, some managers talk too much – including how difficult the decision has been for them.
Others say too little, and come off as uncaring. The company itself may handle the move badly, depending on
how aggressively they force the exits.
“Every HR [human resources] person or manager should be let go in their lifetime so they know what it feels
like,” says Colleen Coates, national practice leader at People First HR Services in Winnipeg. “You think you
know how you’ll respond, but you don’t.
“If the employee starts to cry, how will they handle it? Or, if they get angry?” adds Ms. Coates, who has been on
both ends of a job termination conversation in her career.
“It can go horribly wrong if they don’t prepare properly.”
Whether it’s a termination, where the employee’s job is eliminated, or a layoff, where the employee loses the job
for a certain period of time, a company’s handling of it can have consequences long after the former staffers
have left the building with their personal belongings in a cardboard box. That includes an impact on operations
internally, and how clients and contractors view it externally.
Employers should approach any job losses with caution and always be respectful, says Mark Swartz, a career
columnist at job-search website Monster.ca. He says too often employers don’t recognize the negative impact
the event can have on employee morale, which in turn can hurt productivity.
“It’s traumatic to the remaining staff – the survivors – and can create fear and resentment,” Mr. Swartz adds.
“People in fear don’t want to take the kind of healthy risks an employer needs to rise above its average.”
To help manage the disruption, Mr. Swartz says companies need to be compassionate and transparent about
why the job losses occurred. “If you handle it in a benevolent way you boost your image as an employer … staff
feel motivated and they don’t live in fear,” he says.
Companies should also consider whether job losses are even necessary, says Dr. Henry Hornstein, a business
professor who specializes in organizational change management at Sudbury, Ont.-based Algoma University.
He explains that some companies cut their work force to show shareholders they are trimming costs, but in the
end the result isn’t always money saved. “There’s really only a 50-50 chance that downsizing will result in
benefits that management anticipates,” Mr. Hornstein says.
“Too often organizations default to downsizing and don’t even consider any of the alternatives. It’s as if they
aren’t considering what the potential negative consequences can be.”
Alternatives to job cuts include transferring staff to other departments, using fewer contract workers, or cutting
wages.
If layoffs are the only option, Mr. Hornstein says they must be handled respectfully. “It’s a humiliating,
psychologically destructive process. If organizations have to downsize there are more humane, productive ways
than to turf people as though they are commodities, which they are not,” he explains.
02 February 2016
Page 1 of 3
ProQuest
Companies also need to make sure they are following the law when it comes to laying off staff, including paying
out severance as required by each province based on an employee’s years of service.
Under the Canada Labour Code, which covers federal employees, an employer has to provide at least two
weeks’ notice in writing or two weeks wages to terminated employees after three consecutive months of
employment, according to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Workers with at least 12
consecutive months of continuous employment also qualify for severance pay. .
The rules vary by province for the rest of the work force, including whether or not the employee belongs to a
union.
Maxwell Brunette, a partner and employment lawyer at Blake Cassels &Graydon LLP in Calgary, says
employers need to stick to the rules around termination and ensure the reasons are clear. “Make sure you are
providing a fair amount of notice or pay in lieu of notice, and that you have objective business reasons as to why
you are letting people go,” Mr. Brunette says.
Employers should also give employees time to consider what’s being offered in a severance package.
Ms. Coates of People First HR Services says managers should also receive training in advance on what to do
and say to the person whose job is being cut.
“Everyone responds differently,” Ms. Coates says. “The goal is doing it as respectfully as possible and getting
that employee transitioned out of the workplace.”
Credit: SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Publication title: The Globe and Mail
Pages: B.14
Publication year: 2013
Publication date: Jun 28, 2013
Year: 2013
Section: Report on Business: Globe Careers
Publisher: The Globe & Mail division of Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc.
Place of publication: Toronto, Ont.
Country of publication: Canada
Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals–Canada
ISSN: 03190714
Source type: Newspapers
Language of publication: English
Document type: News
ProQuest document ID: 1372044112
Document URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1372044112?accountid=35812
Copyright: © 2013 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated: 2013-06-28
Database: ProQuest Central
_______________________________________________________________
02 February 2016
Page 2 of 3
ProQuest
Contact ProQuest
Copyright 2016 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. – Terms and Conditions
02 February 2016
Page 3 of 3
ProQuest
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
Why Choose Us
- 100% non-plagiarized Papers
- 24/7 /365 Service Available
- Affordable Prices
- Any Paper, Urgency, and Subject
- Will complete your papers in 6 hours
- On-time Delivery
- Money-back and Privacy guarantees
- Unlimited Amendments upon request
- Satisfaction guarantee
How it Works
- Click on the “Place Order” tab at the top menu or “Order Now” icon at the bottom and a new page will appear with an order form to be filled.
- Fill in your paper’s requirements in the "PAPER DETAILS" section.
- Fill in your paper’s academic level, deadline, and the required number of pages from the drop-down menus.
- Click “CREATE ACCOUNT & SIGN IN” to enter your registration details and get an account with us for record-keeping and then, click on “PROCEED TO CHECKOUT” at the bottom of the page.
- From there, the payment sections will show, follow the guided payment process and your order will be available for our writing team to work on it.