Trying something different to help communicate layoffs at work, we've been posting articles on our intranet this week. So far, two have been posted, one about a layoff I experienced 10 years ago at another company, and the other about how my family reacted.
The response so far has been, well, what you might expect it to be. Both posts have been read. A lot. I've had people stop by my office, call on the phone and send emails. Several have posted comments on the blog. One person said that the first post had "gone viral" in their 1000+ department. One employee posted a heartfelt response and then accepted our invitation to write his own blog post.
The real understanding came yesterday afternoon, when I was called by one of the company switchboard operators, who was asking the right place to direct a reporter who had called. I told her, and then she said, "I read your blog post." She hesitated, and then said, "It was good. Thanks."
The important thing the blog posts have done have been to say it's OK to talk about this, that we're all feeling the same concerns and fears. They also underscore we have management that's not typical.
Two more posts are scheduled for next week: what happens when you're not laid off, and networking in a totally networked world.
I would love to read these posts if you can share them. I'll dm you my email on twitter.
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