in 2023. I was recently coaching a high achiever preparing for parental leave. Although it should be a special time, she was paralyzed with decision fatigue and afraid of how an extra two weeks of allotted leave would impact the team, given that a large percentage had been laid off. As well as feelings of guilt and insecurity, aspects like workload, productivity, employee trust and morale decline during a layoff.
Employees may be going through the stage of shock, acceptance where they have started to come to terms with it, testing and processing the reality or learning to reconnect with the company's core values. Help them develop awareness around how they feel, the situation and their identity and struggles so they can better manage their well-being. Also, seek anonymous input from employees and act on it to the best of your ability.
It doesn't all fall on you, though, during periods of transition. Among other aspects, the accessibility of the Human Resources staff is essential too.Every employee is unique, and so are their feelings. Some team members may feel that brighter days are ahead due to the tough measures, others may feel challenged or some may feel relieved that they are still there.