The Manager's Pocket Guide® to Downsizing with Confidence

Question

83

What about the media?

Will you have to deal with the media? Probably.

Is it important how you deal with the media?

You better believe it!

Here’s an example of why it’s important how

you deal with the media. Two organizations in

the same city downsized within three weeks of

each other. The first organization, with several

thousand employees, downsized by only ten

managers—not a big number. But it made

the newspaper’s front page below the fold the

morning after the downsizing took place. And

two days later, there was another major article

on the front page of the business section.

The articles reported all the details of the

downsizing and described the organization’s

problems, how the people were told (in a group

meeting), and that no assistance was provided

to the terminated employees. The articles also

reported how difficult it was to get information

from the organization’s leaders. Those leaders

mistakenly did not make themselves available

until after the first article appeared.

Morale dropped. Turnover increased. Customer

service suffered. And an organization lost its

reputation as a great place to work.

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Across town two weeks later, a smaller, but

very visible, organization also downsized.

Twenty percent of their 130 employees were

let go. One entire award-winning department

was eliminated. That’s a significant downsizing.

The leaders planned well. A press release had

been prepared, and when a reporter from the

local newspaper called that afternoon, the

Executive VP took the call. He answered every

question that was asked. He talked about the

job transition service that was being provided

and offered to put the reporter in contact with

the career management specialists.

The press release was then faxed to the news-

paper first (since they called first) and then to

all the other media sources in the city. Nothing

was said about it on the evening news. Finally,

two weeks later, there was a brief article on the

third page of the newspaper’s business section.

TV and radio never mentioned it.

What made the difference? Planning, availability,

and readiness and willingness to talk directly

with the media.

You have to be prepared to deal with the media.

With so many people affected in a downsizing,

either directly or indirectly, you can count on

someone contacting the media and asking,

“Do you know what’s going on at XYZ Corp?”

Reporters will take it from there.

The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Downsizing with Confidence

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