Reduction in Force PTSD your New Employees

As an HR Manager, you are probably hiring new employees every day.  Some of these new employees come from another position within their field or from a place of job transition.  Those new employees who came from job transition are moving from one career to a new career, and others are transitioning from a reduction in force (or layoff) or were terminated for a documented cause.  For today, let’s talk about employees in the midst of a job transition do to a reduction in force.

You may not know it, but those who have lost their job in a reduction of force may suffer from a kind PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) once they have entered for your workplace and start their role. You may never see it in the interview or even in the first month or ever, but the PTSD exists and usually manifests itself in silence.  How does PTSD manifest itself for this employee?  Why would they have such a stress if they are now employed and back to work?

The PTSD in new employees coming from transition is routed in their experience. These employees have experienced in their past the trauma of losing their job, some of them without warning.  This loss of their job has taken away financial stability from their family, at times discontinued health insurance for themselves and their loved ones, but most of all, this loss has touched their pride in their work.  A hit to your pride makes you question your abilities to do your job and sometimes can permeate into your confidence in being able to get another job.  The employee has lived through the "rejection" of an employer and now they are afraid that the same will happen again.  This Post Traumatic Stress is there because they are always waiting for the other shoe to drop and they don't want what happened before to happen again.  Being unemployed can have a resounding effect on the employee emotions, self-worth and confidence.  How do we help those employees to cope with their PTSD? How do we guide managers to do the same? How do we help employees feel confidence in what they are doing and also the stability of the company and their position?

In looking at an article by Dr. Oz entitled "How to Recognize Post Traumatic Stress Disorder", I found that many of the symptoms you relate to those with PTSD in war situations are the same as those who are in the workforce now after involuntary job loss of the past.  Here are the symptoms I believe are the most prevalent to look for in this situation as in Dr. Oz's list on his website (see link below):

Hyper vigilance (overly sensitive to making sure everything is "perfect" every time.)

Intense guilt or worry (second guessing and worrying about every email, meeting, phone call etc.)

Feelings of helplessness or worthlessness (lost confidence in their abilities to do the job to the new company expectations)

Employees with PTSD find fear in speaking up on ideas or points of view for fear of not being in line with their boss. They are in fear of messing something up in their day to day job duties, and also missing deadlines and creating the wrong persona of themselves.  The fear of losing their job can be so strong, that employee can over compensate and sabotage themselves without even knowing it

What do we do?

Leadership needs to guide the way to recovery. In these cases, I believe that if managers are really getting to know their employees' work, they are monitoring progress, teaching and coaching and also building the confidence of the employee through praise and engagement this will be the first step to PTSD recovery.  Employees who are suffering from PTSD need to know they are doing a good job and that what they do every day has value to the manager and the company.  Additionally, it would be good for the company to continue to be transparent about how they are growing. Publishing the results of each quarters earnings and explaining to employees how the company is moving forward based on performance and market are key to helping the PTSD employee know the company is stable.  We need to remember that the employee lost their previous position due to downsizing or reorganization. The employee knows the signs of potential for this happening again and they are afraid.

Bottom line: With all employees, continually make sure they know where they stand with managers and company on performance. Be sure you communicating where the company is going and their place in getting there.

PTSD can be very prevalent in your workplace. Many of the employee suffering in silence are products of the 2008 downturn.  Continue to improve your communication, transparency and performance management and soon many will start the road to confidence and PTSD recovery, even if you never know it.

 (http://www.doctoroz.com/article/how-recognize-post-traumatic-stress-disorder?page=1)

Long Distance Partner, Long Distance Advocate

Remember the term "long distance"? Before cell phones and advanced technology, this term was used  when you connected over the phone  by dialing a 1 before the number. On the radio we had  the  "Long Distance Dedication" on Casey Kasem's American Top 40 every week.  Today, I want to bring back the "long distance" term to talk about our employees that are not in our office. These employees live in another state,  work from home,  or both. If you are lucky, you see them possibly once a year at a company event.  There is no difference between your employees down the hall and your employees across the U.S., however, how can you be an advocate for them if you don't see them everyday? How can you be a partner to managers and other leaders if they are not at your meeting table in your office?

Being a long distance partner and advocate is more than sending an email to your remote employees.  It is more than letting employees know your door it is open for their emails or phone calls. It is even  more than potentially visiting them at a location closest to their home (if that is even possible).  The best way, the only way, is to be inclusive. This means that every time you need to hear what the employees think, you reach out to them. Many times we are waiting for employees to contact us and we don't think of including those in other facilities in our discussions. Invite them to Skype in on a company accomplishment lunch or a brainstorming session on new wellness program options. This long distance relationship is about the RELATIONSHIP, not transactions.

Secondly, be the HR partner that is open and available.  Answering emails and returning phone calls as if the person were at your door. It is customary to follow up within 24 hours. Even if you are busy, email or call them to  acknowledge you received their message and you will be communicating with them very soon. They will know that you took the time to put this item on your To Do List. This matters and doesn't take any time at all.

Get your remote employees involved. If there is a employee engagement or "fun" committee that you organize, be sure that employees from outside the building are members of that team.  They have insights on those who are working from home or in another location. These folks will help you to help others and get everyone included.

Third, CALL your employees.  Sometimes in our digital age we figure that email or IM or text is good enough. Calling or Skyping creates a touch point that email does not. Calling the employee develops a conversation with intonation in voices and the sounds of laughter or concern.  We need the emotion in a phone call to know how the employee feels so that we know how to help.

Finally, I challenge you today to make your culture one where the employees outside your walls, feel like they are always at your door and you are ready to have them sit and chat a while. 



"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars"-Casey Kasem

The Connector, an HR Superhero.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s The Connector!!

Who is “The Connector “and how can this superhero help your business? The answer is it’s your HR Business Partner!!

The HR professionals within your company are the people that connect managers and employees together through communication and coaching. HR has conversations with managers about strategic growth and planning, as well as conversations with employees about their needs within the job. Human Resources also knows why the manager and employee are frustrated, why they both will talk to HR, but not to each other. “The Connector” can coach managers and employees how best to navigate different communication styles or how best create a conversation about a sensitive topic.

Often managers and employees are living on different planes that exist within the same building. Employees are apprehensive about talking to managers in fear for their jobs and managers are frustrated because they feel employees are not listening. “The Connector” can be a good coach for both sides to try out different things to bridge this gap and make communication better.  The first step is to help both parties understand their own communication style and how that style correlates with the other person. If the manager likes to be a direct communicator and the employee a supportive communicator, the director could learn to add some supportive dialogue into the conversation.  This will show the employee the manager is supporting their efforts. The supporter’s style (employee) is to be more direct with their words. The employee is fearful of asking questions, but in truth, would move further with the manager if they were direct in their inquiries rather than beating around the bush or not doing anything at all.

“The Connector” also provides the outside perspective. In a conflict, HR can help to coach employees and managers to see things from a different viewpoint that does not include the emotions of the situation. Many times, this perspective will help the other person to understand behaviors better and work towards a common solution BEFORE it becomes too volatile.

HR professionals can be the superheroes in your business that can coach communication, understanding, and perspective that leads to better relationships, better retention, and better performance.

 “The Connector” strives to help employees and managers obtain the superpower of learning how to have the ultimate positive and productive dialogue.

Getting to know your audience

Trust, a word that we use as people to apply to relationships. This could be a relationship that you have with your significant other, with the company you work for, or the grocer that provides you with your weekly supply of bananas. We find that as a people, once we trust something or someone, it becomes a comfort for our needs. The person, for example, that we live with every day that knows our strengths and weaknesses and loves us anyway. The business that provides us with a job and career path that also trusts us to do our job and do it well. The grocer that we believe will give us good food and trusts that we will come back again next week. You can say that trust is the cornerstone to the relationships in all we have around us.

As an HR professional, the most important trust that you can establish when going into a new business is the trust of your employees. The best way of doing that, is getting to know them. In the subject of this blog I used the word "audience". What is your first impression or future impressions? How can the audience know you are trustworthy? The answer is simple, listening and communication. Human Resources sometimes has the reputation of being the place where there are always policies and procedures and discipline and all of that.  However, what I hope to convey when I am working with my new employees is a person to trust. Establishing trust is hard and takes time and takes patience on both the part of the HR professional and the employees. The steps I think are very simple.

The first step is to get to know the audience. The employees and the managers are your audience and the only way to know them is to talk to them. When you first begin your process, have meetings with your employees and managers. The important thing to do in these meeting is LISTEN. If you are listening, you will find out all you need to know about relationships, processes and dynamics.

The second step is to be a part of the team. Communication beyond the questions related to HR is the best way to have the employees get to know you, you get to know them, and also establish a trust. Every morning, go around the office and say hello to employees. This needs to be genuine. Ask them about their morning and make sure it is authentic and heartfelt.  Another option would be find out similar interests that you may have with your employees. This does not mean you are best friends (which I do not encourage), but something that you both like and talk about. In my last position, one of the employees and I liked the same TV show. We would have a 5 minute conversation on Monday mornings about the last episode and what we thought would happen next. The bottom line here is, to trust, you must show you are the same. You have a position to uphold, but you are also a person with interests that has interest in them.

The third step and most important step is - your door MUST ALWAYS be open. Trust takes time and you will know that your employees depend on you, when they come to your door and want to talk. It is important to stop what you are doing, put on your listening hat and give them your undivided attention. The problem they are bringing you may be simple fix, it may take time, or it may be potentially impossible, but to them, they are asking you to help and that is your job. Establishing trust and maintaining relationships is the key to knowing your audience. They need to trust you that you will listen and do your best to help. I would lead your quest to know your audience with honesty. There is not a single person I know that comes out feeling better if they were deceived into thinking something that wasn't true. Some decisions or conversations are hard to do, but honesty in all things will be the reinforcement of trust for you and your employees.

A final story: I knew a young business professional once who was trying to start a business. He had all the background and had been in the business for a while and felt he was ready to branch out on his own. He made a business plan and was ready to go and touted that his business would be the best that anyone had seen. However, the first time he was around his audience, those he would be working with and serving, they laughed at him. They looked at each other and wondered who he was and why he believed his product would be best for them. This professional made one big mistake, he didn't know his audience. He didn't take the time to talk to people, to listen and to then build relationships. In the end, the audience he hoped to have, didn't trust him.

Building trust is about you and what you do to listen, leave your door open, and get to know your audience truthfully.