💛 Navigating layoff anxiety as a people manager

Hello and Happy Thursday,

Today’s ~6 minute read tackles a tough one.

I started 2024 cautiously optimistic that the significant layoffs of 2023 would wane. I hate how wrong I was. Last month saw nearly 20,000 layoffs in Tech alone, with big names like Block, Salesforce, and Wayfair dropping hundreds of employees (some for the second time in as many years).

Refusing to address this isn’t just short-sighted, it’s exclusionary. Nearly all of us know, manage, work with, or are someone who’s been impacted by a layoff since 2020. As devotees of a meaningful workplace experience, we must face this reality with the empathy, support, and sturdiness we’d bring to any facet of the employee experience.

That’s why today I’m sharing tips for leading through the anxiety of work in the age of layoffs (with language to address even the toughest questions). Then, in a couple weeks, we’ll get specific about how to navigate - and even conduct - a layoff at your own place of work with empathy, respect, and humanity.

Yours in the best of times and the worst of times,

Jill

P.S. Have you been personally impacted by a layoff? Hit reply and let me know what type of opportunities you're interested in. If I can help make an intro or direct you towards a role, I will. We've also highlighted some excellent articles and guides in our new “A Few More Resources” section below.

Being laid of is really hard. Hang in there. You’ve got this. ❤️

People management in the age of layoffs

My newsletter editor, Emily, is mom to a wild and wacky 4 year-old. She swears by this woman named Dr. Becky Kennedy to guide her parenting philosophy. One of Dr. Becky’s tenants is the archetype of the “sturdy leader” - someone who provides direction and sets appropriate expectations, while honoring feelings and prioritizing connection.

Now I’m not a parent, but I’m with Dr. Becky on this. I think we all crave sturdy leadership, especially when emotions and anxieties run hot. And for those of us managing teams, nurturing stability, connection, and clarity is a worthy aspiration.

Few topics in the world of work trigger more anxiety than the mention of layoffs. So today, I’m laying out some strategies you can apply as a people manager (or share with your colleagues) to address layoff anxieties that may be lurking on your own team.

It’s no surprise that - just as in loving, sturdy, connected caretaking - so much comes down to what we say and how we say it. Here are a few things to keep top of mind to help if you’re managing a team through layoff anxiety:

Honesty is the Best Policy

In times of uncertainty, there will be questions you can’t knowledgeably answer, and that’s okay! Instead of scurrying to contrive an answer in your “I don’t know” moments, lean into them as opportunities to connect and empathize with your team. You’ll build trust and integrity, establish sustainable expectations of transparency, and mitigate misinformation.

Lean on your “known knowns.”

It sounds simple, but in times of uncertainty, your team may take immense comfort in hearing what you know for sure. Looking for a few ways to highlight the honest-to-goodness truth? Try these! 

• Celebrate wins: Celebrating a specific win doesn’t just fluff your team’s feathers, it harnesses the opportunity to elevate reliable information. Highlight those confirmed successes, but don’t project what a win could mean for job security. For example, “Amazing work - this team proves how indispensable it is every day!” distracts from the work done and centers job security. Instead, try “Signing 5 new enterprise customers took grit and committed relationship-building; I am so proud of you.” 

• Communicate meaningful safeguard steps: Has your executive team taken pay cuts? Have you paused hiring to protect the jobs of those already at your company? If your leadership team has taken measures specifically to protect job security (and not just to slash bottom lines), then share that! Communicating the positive impact these decisions have on preserving overhead runway can be comforting. 

• Contextualize what’s happening in the market: A high profile layoff from a competitor or industry peer can be scary. If you have insight into their decision - especially if you can highlight what you’ve learned from their outcome and how you’ll safeguard against it - share that!

Hear the Ick

Your team will have feelings about this, and it’s important to acknowledge them! Even if your company is secure, teammates are watching friends and family lose their livelihoods. They’re absorbing non-stop bad news on LinkedIn. Their notions of what work can and cannot guarantee have been challenged. Be the sturdy leader your teammates need and listen to them when they voice their fear, disappointment, stress, or sadness. It’s not your job to heal those feelings, but a simple “gosh, I hear that,” can work wonders in acknowledging that their feelings - from gratitude to nervousness and beyond - are valid to feel.

Respect the Landscape

As with everything, the personal impacts of this phenomenon are experienced and felt differently for everyone. If you don’t feel confident in your understanding of how layoff anxiety is changing the employee experience, then brush up! Perceptyx turned out an incredible report on how layoff anxiety is changing the way employees experience work, including how the uncertainty manifests differently for employees of different genders, different sectors, different age groups, and more. I highly recommend making time to read.

But Do I Have To….?

Look, I get it, I really do. This one’s hard. Hard to think about, hard to plan for, hard to worry about, hard to lead and manage through. But as with anything, when we remember that the people we work with are people - first and always - we can find ways to make the experience more humane.

Feeling ready to take some small steps to acknowledge the elephant in the room with your own team? I’ve got just the tool for you below.

A few more resources

Protect that nervous system: When you feel the anxiety creeping in at work, tap into any of these 5 quick strategies for de-stressing while at your desk.

Whoa, whoa, H2O: Okay, this one’s a cop out, but I really just want to remind you to drink some water. It’s easy to forget about our own self care when we’re worried about others; go take a few sips while you enjoy some deep breaths.

Already impacted? I’m truly sorry to hear it. If you’ve been laid off and need specific resources to cope, plan, and persevere, I’ve got some for you here:

• Need a little resiliency inspo from someone who’s been there? Check out one worker’s advice after experiencing 5 layoffs.

• From practical steps like securing unemployment benefits, to tips for avoiding job search burnout, BetterUp’s 9 tips for what to do when you get laid off walks you through all the foundations.

• If your new reality has you re-thinking your entire career, the University of Washington’s 5 Ways to Bounce Back After a Layoff offers some solid guidance on how to get back on solid ground.

Things I'm loving right now

A new way to benchmark: In my last Head of People role, I was always scouring the web for relevant and recent market data that I could use to help support my proposals and recommendations. I so wish PeopleMetrics.FYI - a new tool from the founders of OpenOrg - existed. They're currently in private beta, but you can join the pre-launch waitlist for updates and a special (80%!) early adopter discount.

People Ops-specific AI: I’ll admit, I’ve got a bit of AI burnout. It’s the topic you can’t escape lately. But you also know how I feel about practical, actionable resources…so I was geeked when I came across this curated list of AI tools (many of them free) that are designed specifically for POP team needs.

Only four days left to buy Girl Scout cookies! I’m personally stocking up on thin mints without an ounce of guilt, knowing I’m supporting an organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for trans and non-binary kids (something we desperately need). Even better, you can order directly from a trans girl scout by browsing this incredible list compiled by Erin Reed.