I received an e-mail this week from an impressive Administrative Professional who attended my World Class Assistant training a while back. I’m going to share with you just a few of her comments and then I’ll tell you my plan for Blogging. (This is not the entire e-mail.)
“I am writing to you today to see if you can provide administrative assistants with some advice on how to handle the downturn in the economy and the massive layoffs.” “I know that employees being let go (whether one or 200) is something every admin must be able to handle with professionalism.” She then proceeded to ask me 7 questions!
I’d like to address each question in a separate blog. Here is the first one: “How do you conduct yourself when you know what is going to happen?” (Meaning she knows that people are going to be let go when they are called up to her floor.)
- Your first loyalty is to your employer. I’m sure this great admin knows that, but it’s hard to keep it in mind when you know your friend or a colleague you like is going to be let go. You absolutely must keep whatever you know to yourself. If not, you could be the one being called to HR next.
- Treat that coworker or friend who is going to be let go as you normally would prior to the event.
- Be there when they need you. That is the very best thing you can do for them. You’ll want to listen to them; let them vent or cry; show empathy; and then help them get on with their life. Maybe you can assist them with freshening up their resume. If you have built good networks, you can let them know this person is looking for a job.
- Keep the professional relationship separate from the personal. My daughter went through this in 2008. She is a Human Resource Manager for a company in Las Vegas. She had to let her best friend at work go. She was terribly upset knowing she had to deliver this news, but smart enough to know that her loyalty was to the company first. If this person really is your friend, they will know that it was just business. They will understand that you could not say anything and hopefully both of you can move on to better days.
- Maintain your emotions. If you see this person right after they have been told, stay calm and act professionally. If you act upset in front of them, you are going to increase their level of anxiety. Someone has to stay calm and have good perspective. That can be you.
It’s never easy to see people you work with and care about lose their job. When I was an employee, I experienced both. I lost 2 jobs due to downsizing. Life does go on, even though it’s very upsetting at first. It was good to have people around me who could keep their perspective and be my strength during that time.
Joan Burge