Life after Retrenchement training

Retrenchment is not undertaken lightly…

Organisations do not lightly contemplate retrenchments for reasons of cost, disruption to business, negative market perceptions and loss of staff morale.

Retrenchment often becomes a matter of rigorously following check boxes and steps …… with the consequence that we sometimes forget that we are dealing with people

Rigorous legal compliance is required……..

The impact on staff is high….

Initially there is panic amongst ALL STAFF until it is clarified who will and will not be affected

Retrenchment impacts widely ….• Retrenched people see this as a “dark night of

terror”• Unaffected or successful staff have

tremendous feelings of guilt towards their affected colleagues

• Retrenched people influence unaffected staff, as well as customers; unions and staff associations; press and the community at large

The result is a changed workplace….

• The retrenched staff are very emotional – anger and fear reduce their rationality

• The “survivors” feel they can no longer trust management and fear the next round of retrenchments

• Management are under great pressure to meet production targets with a de-motivated workforce

Have to be able to demonstrate that actions have been taken to mitigate the adverse effects of the retrenchment

Legal processes have to be rigorously followed ……

• Deal with their high emotionality• Develop their ability to bounce back• Deal with their changed financial

circumstances• Take the first steps to either find another

job or start their own business

Best practice is to assist retrenched people……

Venting

• Acknowledge the anger

• Acknowledge the fear

We offer …….

Modular training incorporating coaching sessions with a business coach

Training Modules

1. Building Resilience2. Dealing with your finances3. Career goals and income strategies4. Re-entering formal employment5. Starting your own business6. Coaching

Module 1: Building Resiliencefor individuals, teams and leaders

Building Resilience principles

1. Connect to your purpose and meaning in life

2. Use your unique strengths

3. Maintain perspective

4. Generate positive feelings

5. Be realistically optimistic

6. Persevere by being open minded and flexible

7. Reach out to others

Building Resilience Principles

Building Resilience outcome: • Internal resourcefulness and mental strength• Thinking and listening more clearly

Module 2: Dealing with your finances

Module 3: Career goals and income strategies

Module 4: Re-entering formal employment

Module 5: Starting your own business

Outcomes for retrenched people• Manage their emotions and thinking so that they are

better able to deal with the impact of the retrenchment

• Access to advice, practical skills and processes to deal with the effects of the retrenchment

• Begin the process of finding sustainable income replacement

• Begin the process of personal reconciling and healing

Outcomes for the organisation• Manage the leavers’ perception of the

organisation• Sustain the morale of the survivors in the

organisation• Minimize reputation risk• Conduct best-practice, socially responsible

retrenchment process

We are …..• Highly experienced managers from finance,

marketing, supply chain, legal, distribution and HR

• Each manager has personally been involved in retrenching staff …. and has personally been either retrenched or taken voluntary severance

• Each manager has deep facilitation experience and skills

Optional• Briefing of retrenchment team • Training managers how to inform staff that

they are to be to be retrenched• Re-energising staff who suffer from “survivor

sickness”

Contact us in South Africa:

• Rod Warner 082 456 0819 rod@buildingresilience.co.za

• Visit us: www.buildingresilience.co.zawww.facebook.com/groups/buildingresilience/