PPB February 2021

L ast March, the world suffered a huge shock. As the economy ground to a halt, layoffs and furloughs reverberated through the labor market. Almost a year later, the effects of the pandemic are still with us. So are the layoffs. Hundreds of thousands of workers—mostly in industries like travel/tourism, entertainment, trade shows, restaurants and cosmetics—have lost their jobs, while others have been warned that “temporary” furloughs will become permanent. At the start of the pandemic, people believed it would be a short-lived crisis, but it continues. This level of uncertainty is really tough on the psyche. In this environment, it’s even more critical to deliver bad news with care and empathy. Great leaders let people go in the same way they lead: with compassion, integrity, candor and the assurance that employees have what it takes to thrive in the future. Layoffs Are Still Ahead How to Do the Dreaded Deed Kindly Even with a vaccine now available, experts say it will be at least until year-end before people are able to resume their pre-pandemic activities and the world begins to open back up. As a result, many types of businesses are continuing to suffer losses, and leaders will need to reduce the number of employees or make temporary furloughs permanent. How they do that matters. Here are some guidelines on delivering the bad news with empathy. By Deb Boelkes Khosro / Roman Sigaev / Shutterstock.com 52 | FEBRUARY 2021 | THINK