by After a layoff or reduction in force (RIF), the remaining employees may be left wondering, now what?
It is typical for employees and even managers to worry about how things will change for them and the remaining team members. As the dust begins to settle after a RIF, confusion can set in and “who is doing what” can get a bit tricky. When this happens, the clarity of the role of employees suffers.
Addressing role clarity after layoffs is critical to avoid a decline in productivity, engagement, employee morale, and retention. In many cases, a complete reset of role clarification is needed to ensure that everyone is on the right track and ready to move together into the next phase of the organization.
What is role clarity?
When an employee is clear about what is expected of them at work and what success in their role looks like, they have role clarity. If there are gray areas with the responsibilities of a person or employee and their manager not on the same page, role clarity needs some work.
The clarity of roles is a lot (a lot) rather than having a job title or job description. Job descriptions are good recruiting tools, but they are simply an overview of a position and some of the functions it may entail.
For true role clarity, managers and employees must work together to define job roles, agree on personal goals, and determine how the employee can best contribute to the team.
As Jennie Yang, 15Five’s vice president of people, explains: “When employees are clear about their role, they understand specifically what is expected of them in their jobs. They know what responsibilities and results they are supposed to achieve, their specific goals, how their work impacts the larger goals of the business, and how their performance will be evaluated and measured. When this clarity is missing, it can have a significant impact on the engagement and productivity of your team.”
Learn how to manage role clarity with 15Five >
What happens to role clarity after an RIF?
After a major disruption to an organization, leaders may be inclined to return to “business as usual.” But ignoring the fact that things have changed after a RIF hurts the remaining employees. Failing to address changes in individual organizational roles, processes, and goals can muddy the waters and prevent people from moving forward as a unified and productive team.
Your remaining employees need to understand how changes in the business affect them and how their responsibilities and goals will need to change. Even if managers don’t expect a direct report’s role to change much (or at all) after an RIF, ongoing conversations about expectations are still essential.
Addressing role clarity head-on can also help remaining team members avoid some of the stressors that commonly develop during and after an RIF. By staying ahead of foreseeable challenges, such as an employee working beyond her capacity or focusing on the wrong tasks, you can prevent a dip in employee productivity or engagement after layoffs.
3 Steps for Managers to Address Lack of Role Clarity on Their Teams
Role clarity is a key driver of employee engagement and should be a top priority for managers, especially when leading their teams through an RIF. Read on for three tactics to address role clarity to maintain high engagement and performance.
1. Review individual and team goals
An RIF can sometimes result in an unfair or unreasonable redistribution of work. Some organizations make the mistake of trying to achieve the same goals they had before, but now with fewer people. Dumping more work into your high performers who are already working at their peak capacity is a great way to get them out the door.
When major restructurings or layoffs occur, team leaders and managers must reassess organizational, team, and individual goals based on who stays and what skills each person brings to the table.
2. Fill team gaps with training and competencies
When employees with certain responsibilities or skill sets are fired as part of an RIF, gaps can develop in a team. While this presents a bit of a challenge for managers to overcome, it can actually create a great career development opportunity for remaining employees to learn new skills. Identifying these gaps can open the way for high performers who want to grow into new roles and job responsibilities on the team.
Reassess existing team structure and processes and reassign job tasks as needed based on each employee’s skills, abilities, and competencies. Competencies are measurable skills, attributes, characteristics, and knowledge that help an employee perform their job successfully. (Look at our Definitive Guide to Competencies for more.)
3. Have career conversations
After a RIF, managers and direct reports should have an ongoing dialogue about post-RIF job expectations and responsibilities. Employees should feel comfortable speaking up if there is an area of their role that is unclear to them or a new challenge that they would like to raise their hand for.
Making them part of the conversation can empower employees to define roles for themselves based on what energizes them the most. They can also work with their managers to develop a career vision and assess how their current skills and interests align with what they are doing today and what their dream career might look like in the future.
Get the HR guide to retaining talent after a RIF
In the latest 15Five guide, Building Organizational Resilience: The HR Leaders Guide to Maintaining Engagement After a RIF or Layoff, You’ll gain critical strategies, tactics, and practical advice for engaging and retaining high-performing employees and creating a more resilient company culture.
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