A couple years ago, I worked for a company that claimed they were more like a family than a company.
Image by JerzyGorecki from Pixabay.
More than 50% of their employees had been around for more than 5 years. They sang together. They worked out together. I was buying into the culture. But then I witnessed some things:
1. A person leaving. A person who had been around with one of the longest tenures. I watched that person be shunned. All of a sudden they were a traitor! It was so cold.
2. A mass layoff. Budget cuts and hit by the recession. They mass laid off 20+ people with no severance and no warning. People who had been with the company for years: gone. Ripped away like a bandaid.
Your company culture isn’t something that’s only experienced inside company lines. It continues and shows when a person leaves or is let go.
I’ve been shocked to come on LinkedIn and read some of the lay-off stories:
❌Finding out your laid off by turning off login access summarizes your culture: toxic.
❌Texting someone at 9pm to let them know they’re laid off summarizes your culture: reckless and apathetic.
❌Laying off a large group of people via a ZOOM webinar summarizes your culture: cold and in-personal.
❌Not giving a severance of any type summarizes your culture: cheap and stingy.
People will remember how you handled this time. They will remember it when it’s time for you to find top talent to refill your gaping holes. This isn’t how we treat family. This isn’t how we treat anyone. Be better. Do better.
Click here to see this post on LinkedIn.