Three tips for leading through staff reduction

Beth Plummer
2 days ago
2 min read

I’ve noticed many posts in my LinkedIn feed from people at media companies losing their jobs due to reorganization and downsizing since the beginning of the year. In these posts, people describe their coworkers as friends and family and express words of gratitude for the companies they are leaving.

No doubt, corporate reorganizations and downsizings are hard. I’ve traveled through many myself and know firsthand the heartache and disruption that reorganizations have on people’s lives. But I also know that today’s media firms are dealing with unprecedented disruption themselves and need to continually tweak how they’re resourced and structured to best compete.

If you’re in a leadership role dealing with the impact of a reorganization, here are 3 tips to lead with empathy while not bashing your company or damaging its culture.

First, be visible and be human. Let the people impacted by the reorganization know that they’re respected and valued. Let the people who are staying know that you respect and value them too and give them time and space to adjust to the change.
Second, support your company and those who initiated the change. Ideally, your company provided talking points about the why behind the change. If they did, use those talking points to help those who remain understand the business need behind the change.
Third, lean into the new structure and be part of the solution. No doubt, there will be growing pains as the company and your team move towards the “new normal”. Use communication channels at your disposal to share feedback on what’s working/not working and help your team navigate new processes and tools that might accompany the change.

In conclusion, given the pace of change in media, entertainment and technology it seems that firms will need to continually tweak their go-to-market approach and structure to compete. Gaining proficiency in helping people navigate their way through reorganization will continue to pay dividends throughout each business adjustment or change event.