-
How a "Pay-to-Quit" Strategy Can Reveal Your Most Motivated Employees
Organizational Development Digital ArticleEverybody wins with this program. -
Layoffs That Don’t Break Your Company
Downsizing Magazine ArticleBetter approaches to workforce transitions -
What Companies Still Get Wrong About Layoffs
Organizational Development Digital ArticleMany cling to the idea that reducing staff is the fastest, easiest way to cut costs. But there are smarter, more humane approaches. -
Keep Your Name Off That Layoff List
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleNew research suggests you can predict who'll be on it. -
How to Deal with Layoff Anxiety
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleFive strategies to confront your fears productively. -
After Layoffs, Help Survivors
Economics Digital ArticleEditor’s Note: The following article was written by Anthony Nyberg and Charlie Trevor, based on their research and also drawing on the research of others including Teresa M. Amabile of Harvard, Regina Conti of Colgate, and Wayne F. Cascio of the University of Colorado. The article, to appear in June’s issue of HBR, builds on […] -
Layoffs: More Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Employee retention Digital ArticleI concluded last week by noting that, sometimes, layoffs are unavoidable. Here’s what Jeff Pfeffer and I found were the four guidelines to making them run in as humane a manner as possible. 1. Prediction: Give people as much information as you can about what will happen — to them as individuals, to their workgroups, […] -
The Last Word on Layoffs: Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Employee retention Digital ArticleOver the last two weeks (1, 2), I’ve looked at some of the best ways to manage layoffs. A study by Christopher Zatzick and Rick Iverson of Simon Fraser University, published in the Academy of Management Journal last October, adds an interesting twist. They found that layoffs have the most negative effects on subsequent performance […] -
Don’t Let Layoffs Undermine Your DEI Efforts
Diversity and inclusion Digital ArticleA “last hired/first fired” approach disproportionately impacts women and people of color. -
You Can Prevent Layoffs
Costing Digital ArticleWhen you strip away the fancy jargon, a successful business fundamentally makes more money than it spends. While managers can pull any number of levers to accomplish this, the one they most often choose reads: “Reduce Costs!” And perhaps the most common way they cut costs is to eliminate jobs. This is why we are […] -
Shifting Your Perception After Being Laid Off
Layoffs Digital ArticleAs a tech employee, Vivek Gulati has navigated multiple layoffs. Here’s what he’s learned. -
Audio: The Delicate Art of Doing Layoffs
Economics Digital ArticleWhat’s foremost in people’s minds these days? Whether or not they’ll be laid off. What’s foremost in the minds of a growing number of managers? How do you lay people off? As the exasperated protagonist says in the current Harvard Business Review Case Study, “Why aren’t layoffs taught as a subject at business school?” Download […] -
How to Communicate a Tough Decision to Your Team
Management communication Digital ArticleSix strategies to help you deliver bad news compassionately. -
Preparing to Announce Layoffs in a Virtual Meeting
Presentation skills Digital ArticleWith practice, you can deliver difficult news effectively and compassionately. -
The Last Word on Layoffs: Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleOver the last two weeks (1, 2), I've looked at some of the best ways to manage layoffs. A study by Christopher Zatzick and Rick Iverson of Simon Fraser... -
Layoffs Are Painful. But You Can Communicate Them Compassionately.
Corporate communications Digital ArticleDelivering your message with kindness and care is better for both employees and your company. -
Too Many Employees Cash Out Their 401(k)s When Leaving a Job
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleCompanies can make small changes that could dramatically increase retirement readiness. -
European Layoffs: Choosing Between the Young, the Weak and the Old
Human resource management Digital ArticleThe first article of this series reported that, traditionally, European firms fire employees by expense categories–the most expensive first, followed by successively less expensive employees. Europeans generally did not examine productivity. This approach generates cost savings at the expense of experience, since salary is highly correlated to seniority. Socially, it may seem fairer, as well, […] -
Layoffs: Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Employee retention Digital ArticleCarol Hymowitz interviewed me for a recent Wall Street Journal column, titled “Though Now Routine, Bosses Still Stumble During the Layoff Process.” The interview sparked my curiosity, and I went back and read research on “downsizing,” a topic I’ve been interested in since I did my dissertation research on the process of organizational death in […] -
The Coronavirus Crisis Doesn’t Have to Lead to Layoffs
Costing Digital ArticleLeaders can approach this challenging time with flexibility, transparency, and compassion.
-
CloudFlare, Inc.: Running Hot?
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details In July 2012, the cofounders of CloudFlare, a Silicon Valley startup that protects websites and accelerates their traffic, are considering the implications... -
Ross Perot and General Motors, Portuguese Version
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details In December, 1986 the General Motors Board of Directors must decide whether to accept the buyout agreement between GM and Ross Perot, a director of GM... -
FAG Kugelfischer - A German Restructuring, Spanish Version
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details A large German manufacturer of ball bearings and precision machinery experiences severe financial difficulty brought on by poor management practices,... -
Ron Ventura at Mitchell Memorial Hospital
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Mitchell Memorial Hospital is a 750-bed regional academic medical center in Ohio. Andy Prescott, Chief of the Cardiovascular Center, is reviewing the... -
Winds of Change at Hero Honda
Management Case Study8.95View Details Pawan Munjal, the CEO of Hero Honda, started a media briefing in December 2010 with the statement: "This is the most important announcement I have made... -
Fresh to Table, Spanish Version
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details After the contentious firing of an office manager, the leadership at Fresh to Table, a software-as-a-service provider for luxury hotels and restaurants,... -
Scott Paper Co., Spanish Version
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details A professional turnaround manager attempts to implement a massive global downsizing program at the world's largest producer of consumer tissue products.... -
Layoffs: Effects on Key Stakeholders
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details From 2004-2009, almost 40,000 mass layoffs occurred in the US, representing over 7 million workers. This note describes the effects of layoffs on employees,...
-
How a "Pay-to-Quit" Strategy Can Reveal Your Most Motivated Employees
Organizational Development Digital ArticleEverybody wins with this program. -
Layoffs That Don’t Break Your Company
Downsizing Magazine ArticleBetter approaches to workforce transitions -
What Companies Still Get Wrong About Layoffs
Organizational Development Digital ArticleMany cling to the idea that reducing staff is the fastest, easiest way to cut costs. But there are smarter, more humane approaches. -
Keep Your Name Off That Layoff List
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleNew research suggests you can predict who'll be on it. -
How to Deal with Layoff Anxiety
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleFive strategies to confront your fears productively. -
After Layoffs, Help Survivors
Economics Digital ArticleEditor’s Note: The following article was written by Anthony Nyberg and Charlie Trevor, based on their research and also drawing on the research of others including Teresa M. Amabile of Harvard, Regina Conti of Colgate, and Wayne F. Cascio of the University of Colorado. The article, to appear in June’s issue of HBR, builds on […] -
CloudFlare, Inc.: Running Hot?
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details In July 2012, the cofounders of CloudFlare, a Silicon Valley startup that protects websites and accelerates their traffic, are considering the implications... -
Layoffs: More Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Employee retention Digital ArticleI concluded last week by noting that, sometimes, layoffs are unavoidable. Here’s what Jeff Pfeffer and I found were the four guidelines to making them run in as humane a manner as possible. 1. Prediction: Give people as much information as you can about what will happen — to them as individuals, to their workgroups, […] -
The Last Word on Layoffs: Evidence on Costs and Implementation Practices
Employee retention Digital ArticleOver the last two weeks (1, 2), I’ve looked at some of the best ways to manage layoffs. A study by Christopher Zatzick and Rick Iverson of Simon Fraser University, published in the Academy of Management Journal last October, adds an interesting twist. They found that layoffs have the most negative effects on subsequent performance […] -
Let’s Talk About Layoffs: Our Favorite Reads
Layoffs AscendGive yourself time to reflect so that you can move forward in a fulfilling way.