Perfunctory praise will not soften the pain of a layoff

A Briefly Noted reader’s comment made after reading a staff recognition tip in the most recent edition of this newsletter reminded me why it’s important to be Explicit when describing what staff members did when recognizing them.

Explicit is one of the five ingredients of GREAT staff recognition—recognition that recipients will value.

Here is the staff recognition tip that prompted reader Jess’s comment:

In responses to letters of resignation, express your appreciation to staff members for their service. Be specific about how the organization benefited from their contributions (Emphasis added by Jess).

“I think it could be expended to when downsizing occurs, too,” she wrote.

She continued by sharing a very personal experience of being the victim of a budget-related layoff.

“I felt quite hollow and needlessly slighted when, while telling me that I was being laid off because of budget cuts beyond their control, my two bosses said, ‘We want you to know we appreciate all the hard work you’ve contributed to make this department a success.’ 

“Yet they said absolutely nothing that indicated they had any idea what I did. A tiny, tiny comment on something they noticed that I did for them would have made the moment so much less awful (for them, too, I suspect.)”

This is an example of how some managers attempt to use praise to buffer bad news. They erroneously believe that empty praise will make being told you don’t have a job easier to take. 

Of course, that’s not how recipients of “recognition” used for this purpose feel.  

“It felt perfunctory, not genuine,” Jess wrote.

Being motived by a Genuine sense of appreciation is the essential ingredient of meaningful staff recognition.

During the program based on my book Thanks! GREAT Job!I share the image of a thank-you card that no one has ever purchased, sent or received. Its message: “Thanks for nothing in particular!”

A thank-you card that no one has ever purchased, sent or received, but you can find cards with a similar message: “Thank you for everything you do.”

“You won’t find this at Hallmark,” I say. “But you will find cards with a similar message: ‘Thank you for everything you do.’” 

Receiving this message—or what Jess heard from her bosses—must leave recipients wanting to scream, “If I do everything well, I must do a good job of something. What is it?”

Avoid leaving staff members feeling “hollow and needlessly slighted” when recognizing them, when responding to letters of resignation and especially when laying them off “because of budget cuts beyond their control.” 

Jess’s advice is valid. The original tip should be extended to include what is said when staff members are being laid off, and that matter, to people who are retiring.

Whenever staff members leave the organization, whether it’s due to a resignation, retirement or layoff, express your appreciation to them for their service. Be specific about howthe organization benefited from their contributions.

Being Explicit when acknowledging the contributions of an individual who is being laid off is even more important than doing so in response to resignations. People who resign decide to leave, but those who are laid off  had no choice. They are forced to leave due to circumstances beyond their control.

Recognition must be motivated by a Genuine sense of appreciation and the message can be strengthened by including an Explicit description of what the recipient did.

If you can’t do that, it would better to just tell the individual she is being laid off “because of budget cuts beyond their control” and leave it at that.