The study suggests meaner and leaner operations have hidden costs, and hiring temporary help and minimizing chronic overtime would be better for employees.
What should companies do if faced with downsizing?
Communicate!
“If employees don’t know what’s going on, they will fill in the communications gap with what they think, and that could be the worst-case scenario,” Anderson says. “Then it’s like a snowball going downhill, and people are taken off focus.”
The second thing is involvement.
When it’s time to downsize, Anderson says, “employers should get the workers involved. It’s amazing what creativity comes out of employees, even when dealing with something bad. They may devise creative options the employer hadn’t considered, and at least will feel they’ve had a say.”
