Layoffs move up ladder to middle management

For example, Banks says she always gave kudos to “those people who could move in and out of more high profile work and also wouldn’t mind or pout about having to work overtime collating booklets. It was the no-job-is-too-big-or-small approach.”

There’s also a lot to be said about humor and making yourself lovable!

Banks and her co-author Diane Coutu, a fellow at the American Psychiatric Institute and a Review senior editor, are not suggesting that managers “morph into Jerry Seinfeld,” they write. “Being congenial and fun isn’t about bringing down the house. Just don’t be the guy who’s always in a bad mood, reminding colleagues how vulnerable everyone is. Who wants to be in the trenches with him?”

It’s all about having the right people on your side during the downsizing war.

Executives making the difficult decisions to lay off workers and managers are in need of help themselves. “Try to help the leader defend your department,” the authors write. “If the boss is working on a restructuring plan and asks for ideas, offer some realistic solutions.”

A manager should also have the ability to “unite and inspire” those around them, Banks maintains, including their own supervisors.

Banks pointed to Michael Kradas, a former middle manager she supervised at FleetBoston Financial during layoffs there, as an example of a manager that did this well. The authors refer to him as Isaac in the article.

“In the face of low morale, the head of human resources asked Isaac, a learning and development VP, to help revive people’s spirits, improve communications, and stir up some fun. Isaac quickly pulled together a small team of volunteers and created a live radio show that engaged even the most cynical members of the organization.

"It included a soap opera that kept staff at all levels laughing and waiting for the next episode. The show gave executives a unique platform to share information such as quarterly financial results and changes in the organization’s structure. It did so much to improve morale that as a result Isaac landed the job he wanted — head of management and leadership development for the company.”

Kradas, aka Isaac, is now working as director of training for a non-profit college tuition company called American Student Assistance.

I asked him how he was able to keep a positive attitude and actually end up inspiring the people around him.

“There really was no grand plan,” he admits.

“If you’re willing to be laid off your chances of being laid off decrease because you gain a certain sense of confidence,” he explains. “I saw a lot of good people self-destruct and crack under the pressure during layoff.”

If you only concentrate on protecting your job, he adds, you’ll be out of touch with what’s happening around you. “People want flexibility and a positive attitude during layoffs,” he stresses. “It’s what this crazy world demands.”

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