The Workforce Therapy Files Podcast Show Notes – Layoffs and Lay-Ups (Part 2)

May 9, 2025 workforce podcast show notes

Listen Here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

File 25: In today’s file, the team wraps up a 2-part discussion on the job market. In this episode, they’ll focus on “lay-ups”. These are the positive ways an organization can assist exiting employees to land on their feet, after a separation. At the same time, this segment will also help area employers to take advantage of the availability of new candidates becoming available, especially if a large layoff has occurred.

Listen to Layoffs and Lay-Ups (Part 1).

In File 11 (Breaking Up Is Hard to Do), the team discussed the topic of separating with dignity. This might also be a good reference point.

There Are Steps that Can Be Taken to Assist Exiting Employees
Molley begins by commenting about how once the severance package and other formalities have been handled, there are still additional steps an employer can take to assist exiting employees. This comes back to a them discussed in File 11 about separating with dignity.

If the organization knows the separation is going to happen, are there job-placement resources in the community that could assist with re-hiring? Do managers personally know if local businesses that could use good employees? Contact them and invite them to connect with your impacted employees. These types of extra steps can help to ease the transition. Remember, when one door closes, another one eventually opens.

In the previous file, File 24, Jamie presented some of the legal requirements a company has, based on the WARN Act, when a layoff is coming. Again, none of the hosts are attorneys, but the information can serve as a guideline for a conversation with your business/corporate attorney.

Jamie points out that by helping former employees to land on their feet, there are indirect and direct benefits to the organization, such as lower claims and the avoidance of potential litigation expenses. Not to mention the damage to the company’s reputation as a community/regional employer.

Jason discusses a number of actions he’s seen his clients take in these types of situations. He groups them as passive and active steps. An example of a passive action could include writing letters of recommendation for employees. An active action might be contacting local and regional workforce teams and the unemployment office resources.

Additionally, if you become aware of a layoff in the area, get your marketing team working on a plan to potentially attract these potential job candidates. Go so far as to engage that company’s HR team to see if you can begin recruiting onsite, before the official layoff date occurs. Consider geo-fencing or geo-targeting the company’s location enabling you to serve online ad notifications to people who show up at that location.

Jamie also comments on this aspect. If you are the employer facing layoffs, consider reaching out to other local employers to see if they are looking for good candidates. Your recommendations would be extremely helpful to the HR team, as well as your employees.

Jason explains how they helped to identify industry-adjacent employers for a client. They didn’t have the exact same jobs, but many of roles required similar skillsets.

Molley describes how affected employees can leverage the skills they’ve developed over the years, yet when recruiters and HR overly-depend on technology to screen applicants, those prospective employees risk being left on the sidelines. We need to help employees to tell their stories differently.

Providing a long-term employee resources can be extremely helpful. He/she may need help building a résumé and learning how to apply for jobs. Help them to list their specific skills. It’s also possible to work on improving their social media footprint.

Equip that long-term employee with a letter of recommendation, help them to set up an appointment with a staffing specialist, and you might even be able to provide them with information about specific opportunities with other employers. Remember, these are steps to helping with a lay-up, before or after the layoff.

Molley suggests contacting the Kentucky Career Center, which is a statewide resource. It’s a valuable resource for employees who are facing a layoff or other separation. Your tax dollars have already been used to fund these resources, so take advantage of them.

Placing an Emphasis on Workforce Planning
This was mentioned in File 24. Molley provides an example. Organizations over-hire. It’s often because they don’t know how to properly hire. They’re planning for attrition.

Instead, if organizations were to create an authentic approach to the hiring process for each position, you’d consider the company’s readiness to hire, the timing for the hire, the reason one or more people need to be hired, etc. This granular approach will help you to know the best time to engage in the hiring process. It can actually lower the overall cost of your workforce development efforts. It’s not simply a cost of doing business.

Consider listening to our 3-Part Series on how Recruiting Begins with Retention. Listen to Part 1.

If you are authentic and candid with your workforce about how the company is performing, should a layoff be in the future, employees may be better able to understand the decision is business-related, not personal.

Consider the following simple takeaways:

• Treat people like adults.
• Be transparent.
• Partner with your networks.
• Build community around we are all better off when we’re all employed.
• If you have to layoff, lay them up for their next opportunity.
• Remember, anyone whose been with your company for 3-5 years may need some additional help because the process of seeking a new opportunity will be different for them.

Each of the steps you can take to help these individuals to move forward will help to alleviate worry, stress, anxiety and the fear of the unknown future. These efforts can also reduce any potential negative reactions the company and its remaining employees might face.

Before We Leave
We wanted to let you know the WTF Podcast is going to have a booth at the upcoming 2025 KYSHRM Conference, August 26-28, at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY. Come visit us at Booth 113. Be a guest for one our podcast mini-interviews!

That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today.  Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Did You Enjoy Today’s Conversation?

Visit WorkforceTherapyFiles.com to listen to additional WTF files or to let us know you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming file.

Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals?

We’re here to help.  You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions:

• Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com
• Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com
• Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com

We hope you found this file insightful and helpful.  Thank you for listening!