By: Amanda Putri – PR Consultant of Fortune PR
When a company announce a major organizational change like restructuration, the anxiety felt by employees can affect their productivity. In this situation, the company’s Board of Directors and internal PR officers need to use all their skills to create a workplace where change is embraced and successfully implemented.
Last year, Twitter cut up to 9 percent of their global workforce or roughly 350 workers. Chevron Indonesia also laid off 1200 employees. This year, more companies experienced restructuration. Microsoft cut thousands of jobs worldwide as it attempts to beef up their presence in the cloud computing sector. SoundCloud also plans to cut 40% of its staff and close its London and San Francisco offices due to their financial condition. Freeport Indonesia laid off 178 employees. Journalists from several business units from MNC Group also got laid off on July 2017.
Many of the employees who got laid off often complains. Many also conducted a public demonstration, and if not handled well, this can damage your company’s reputation. The aftermath of restructuring and layoffs has left many leaders confused about keeping loyalty among the survivors who are most likely feeling fearful and distracted. In this challenging condition, it is up to you to PR Professionals to keep motivating your employees. To create an environment in which employees can maintain their motivation level, you need to focus on diminishing ambiguity, increasing trust, and enhancing development.
When employees feel fearful and negative, ambiguity often leads to conflict. Therefore, employees need clarity to remain motivated. You need to remove as much ambiguity as possible from the workplace caused by organizational restructuration. Communicate what you know and be honest about what you don’t know. Moreover, your employees need to be able to trust you. Ensure that your employees can trust you as a consistent and realistic leader who is committed to their best interests. While you may not be able to reassure your employees that their jobs are secure, you can assure that you will work hard so they are best prepared to handle whatever comes their way. Make your commitment to employee development conscious and visible. Let them know that while you may not be able to offer monetary-based rewards this year, you will compensate by increasing their capabilities and capacity. You can also collaborate with other company divisions such as internal PR and human resources to create interesting and empowering programs for all employees.
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