Member Exclusive: 7 tips for partnering with HR on layoff communications

By Mike Prokopeak, director of learning and Council content 

Layoffs are one of the most difficult jobs for any manager. Whether it’s letting go of a single member of the team or leading the communications strategy for a mass reduction in force, the personal consequences of business decisions are never more clear. 

Adding to the challenge are the many ways communicators can get it wrong. One way to make this rocky road a little smoother is close partnership with HR. 

CLC Resource: A layoff comms checklist 

Your HR colleagues are directly involved in layoff conversations with employees, but they also hold the keys to information that can help the company avoid brand-damaging mistakes and costly litigation.  

Here are seven tips for working better together: 

1. Highlight tools to find internal jobs. 

A mass layoff may happen even as the company is hiring for a number of open roles. Communicators can partner with HR to highlight internal opportunities that may even make a layoff unnecessary.

Redeploying talent is more cost effective than hiring from the outside, not to mention more humane to those whose jobs are at risk. The average cost per new hire is nearly $4,700, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, but can exceed three to four times the new hire’s salary when accounting for costs like time managers spend onboarding and training new hires.  

Make sure HR has updated the internal job board and that the comms department is actively sharing those roles in advance of potential layoffs.  

2. Take a hard look at DEI data. 

Ask HR to provide a list of employees who will be let go so communicators can assess the impact on DEI. From a legal point of view, it’s important to review the demographics of the layoff to assess its impact on protected classes of employees, according to employment attorney Jon Hyman. 

“You may have legitimate reasons why everyone who was included to be laid off was laid off,” he said in a webinar on the HR Exchange Network. “But if your workforce looks a lot whiter after the layoff than before the layoff, you’re going to have to explain it. You might not want to have to go to court to justify why you got rid of every single black employee you have.”  

Whether the effect is real or perceived, a layoff may also undercut the company’s stated values around inclusion and equity. Communicators should get involved in this conversation early to address potential challenges. Besides the internal pushback, this could also easily become an external issue, so be prepared. 

3. Assess the impact on remote workers. 

While not a protected employee class, remote and hybrid workers have formed their own distinct workplace identity. If layoffs will disproportionately affect remote workers, consider messaging to reinforce the company’s support for remote and hybrid work.  

That’s assuming targeting remote workers wasn’t intentional. Although it wasn’t stated directly, that appeared to be the case with Wayfair’s recent job cuts, according to multiple reports, an outcome the company’s CEO foreshadowed when his memo instructing employees to “work harder” went viral. If the organization’s stance toward remote workers is changing, make sure that's clear too. 

CLC Resource: The comms-HR relationship: working together for employees 

4. Review union contracts and labor relations policies. 

HR and comms should work hand in hand when it comes to the rules governing labor relations in your jurisdiction. Many European countries provide levels of labor protection through works councils that may surprise North American-centric companies.  

In the U.S., labor unions have notched significant wins in recent years that added complexity to layoff procedures. Workers at the University of California are represented by 16 unions, each of which has a separate contract. The university has documented plans for layoffs and accompanying forms and letters related to each agreement.  

5. Set up a portal for laid off employees. 

Beyond helping with messaging and coaching on how to deliver the news, communicators can help HR with follow-up messaging. Given the emotional hit they’re taking, assume laid-off employees will not remember the details about the benefits or severance being offered.  

Support HR by creating materials for an online portal of information that includes FAQs, links to job counseling services, and details on COBRA and unemployment assistance. 

6. Collect feedback from the layoff process. 

HR business partners are on the frontlines of the layoff conversation and can provide valuable insights back to the communications team. That feedback may include immediate brand risks or serve as a reminder to monitor the effects of layoffs on social media, such as when a (former) Cloudflare employee posted a video of the moment she was fired on TikTok. HR can also provide useful longer term data for future messaging. 

CLC Resource: 3 ways to prevent ex-employees from seizing control of your layoff narrative 

7. Fine tune your employee listening program. 

Laid-off employees aren’t the only ones feeling the pain. After an initial sense of relief, remaining employees will likely feel stressed and concerned about who will pick up the work from their departed teammates.  

Managers who had to deliver the difficult message are feeling some level of emotional trauma, too. That’s not to mention the toll from the increased attention and reassurance they’ll need to provide remaining employees. 

CLC Resource: Purpose Under Pressure: How to Listen to, and Act on, What Employees Expect From Their Employer 

Work with HR to make sure your ongoing employee listening program is fine tuned for feedback. There will be an inevitable immediate hit to morale and productivity in the aftermath of a layoff, but analyzing ongoing signals will guide how future communications can lessen the effects. 

Have any other tips for partnering with HR? Drop your thoughts in the comments or get in touch with me directly at [email protected].