Effective change management for layoffs and reductions in force (RIF) is essential, no matter the reason for the change. Here’s how the ADKAR Model helps. Whether your organization is reorganizing after a merger, laying off people to align with marketplace demand, or eliminating jobs for other reasons, the primary focus of change management for layoffs should always be on the people who are staying with the organization. This often seems counterintuitive. Why Change Management for Layoffs is Difficult Layoffs are never easy and the effects ripple throughout an organization. Some organizations provide departing employees with severance packages, job search resources, and other resources to help people move forward. But others don’t or can’t offer the same level of support, which makes change management for layoffs even more difficult for organizations. Although Prosci research offers insights and effective approaches for implementing change management for layoffs and RIF, the process an organization follows is always highly dependent on applicable employment laws. To understand the complexities of this type of change, let’s look at the different stakeholder groups involved. Impacted stakeholders in change management for layoffs Two primary stakeholder groups are affected by a layoff, downsizing, restructuring or RIF: the people leaving and the people who remain. Stakeholder group 1 – The people leaving Change management for this stakeholder group is especially challenging because you have little control or influence over their change journeys. In terms of the ADKAR Model, it’s almost impossible to build Desire for the change. Even when employers provide severance packages, job retraining, or other help, there is often no “What’s in it for me? (WIIFM) for people who are losing their jobs. Human resources (HR) professionals must also manage layoffs and terminations in ways that align with strict legal requirements—which may seem abrupt. Employees typically get called into meetings without warning, advised of the separation and terms, and escorted from the building. In most cases, HR professionals can’t answer all employee questions. They can only focus on being compassionate, communicating clearly, and working within the organization’s constraints. Change management for these stakeholders is limited and involves working with the HR representative. They collaborate to arrive at the definition of success, develop a communications plan, work through anticipated resistance, and confirm the appropriate responses to questions from departing employees. Stakeholder group 2 – the people who remain Improving change management for layoffs is primarily about supporting the people who are staying with the organization. This group comprises smaller groups of stakeholders, such as front-line employees, managers, contractors, and customers impacted by the change. These are the people who are going through an ADKAR journey you have more control over, as opposed to someone who’s exiting the business. This part of change management for layoffs focuses on planning for resettling the stakeholder groups who are staying after the layoffs are complete. Supporting all relevant stakeholders is critical. You must do this right to avoid resistance behaviors, loss of employees and customers, and damage to your organization’s reputation and culture. Getting Change Management for Layoffs Right From a process perspective, managing change for a layoff or downsizing follows a similar approach to other types of organizational changes. Following a structured approach like the Prosci Methodology and 3-Phase Process goes a long way toward ensuring you address all the standard activities for achieving high rates of success. For example, choosing the right sponsor, which change management plans to use, the right communications and timing, anticipating and mitigating resistance, etc. However, managing changes during layoffs and downsizings differs in important ways. More focus on external stakeholders Unlike internal changes, this type of change can have significant affects on customers and other external stakeholders. If the people who lost their jobs held customer-facing roles, communications plans must address those people. What are you going to say to the person or external vendor about what happened to the person or team they had always worked with? Impacts to the organization’s reputation Companies should be incredibly careful today in our world of viral communication. During layoffs, all eyes are upon the organization. How you treat your people in this moment will be remembered, and not just for the short run. People form lasting opinions from these types of interactions with a company. Impacts on organizational culture Change management for layoffs is a culture change, except it’s not a project or initiative most plan for. It’s commonly focused on reversing or mitigating negative impacts after a difficult change an organization goes through. If you think of a layoff as a tear or snag in fabric of the organizational culture, effective change management helps repair it. Otherwise, you can end up down the road, looking back and wondering, “How did we get here?” Consequences of Poor Change Management for Layoffs There are ways to get through layoffs and RIFs so the departing people feel a sense of dignity and you feel a sense of dignity for them. Conversely, poor change management for layoffs can result in a poorly or incompletely adopted change, or it may not be what your organization expected or hoped for. This is what Prosci refers to as the “Swiss cheese” state of a change. States of Change In change management, we always change for a reason. The intended benefits of a layoff might be more efficient reporting structures, better customer service, or improved financial position. Like other changes, people in the organization must “adopt” or accept it to achieve success. When they don’t, consequences build up over time: First, you see short-term consequences like lower ROI from the overall initiative. Then, you might start to build a history of failed changes over the next year or two. And then it's usually somewhere around year 3 to year 5 when people look around and say, “This is not what our culture was like.” “We didn't expect this.” “We used to be a great company, and now I don't know who we are.” Eventually, people start to think, “If the company is going to treat people like that, I should get out of here too.” Research on Poor Change Management for Layoffs and RIF Prosci research reveals significant consequences from poorly managing change after a layoff. Things to look out for include: Fear – Retained employees fear losing their jobs. They’re less likely to take risks because they fear mistakes. Employees are also much less likely to embrace the change because they don’t want to be seen as embracing layoffs. Productivity loss – A sense of futility spreads among employees because they see themselves as the next to be let go. High performers quit for fear of losing their jobs, often going to competitors, and leaving teams without the needed knowledge and expertise. Absenteeism – Employees don’t show up to meetings, activities or events related to the change and everyday work. Some begin using all their paid time off. Organizations may see a spike in sick days claimed during the change. Working against change – Employees may undermine the change or retaliate by sabotaging it or spreading misinformation. This makes others feel guilty for supporting the change 4 Tips to Improve Change Management for Layoffs To address typical issues present during layoff-related changes, start with the first two elements of the ADKAR Model: Awareness and Desire. 1. Deliver abundant communications Prosci research shows that near-constant communication about change quells rumors and improves Awareness of the need for change. Impacted groups are prone to speculation about change. Transparent, frequent, well-timed communications from the right senders will ease fears and mitigate negative views. 2. Address stakeholder concerns Employees and other stakeholders are more accepting of the change when you listen to their concerns early in the process. To build Desire to participate and engage with the change, address concerns promptly, efficiently and articulately whenever possible. Don’t downplay negative implications or try to make the change sound better than it is. 3. Communicate the business need for the layoffs or RIF Employee groups should understand the business need for the change. Although layoffs affect employees negatively, clarifying that the change was not superfluous is important for building Awareness and Desire. 4. Don’t rely on communicating individual benefits Our research shows that it’s difficult to convey individual benefits—or WIIFM—when trying to build Awareness and Desire. The reasons for why a layoff or downsizing is necessary may appear to produce only organizational benefits (whether true or not). This complexity compounds when your communications lack transparency, leading to employee mistrust of managers and leadership, especially when they appear to benefit from the change. Navigate the Complexities of Change Management for Layoffs and RIF The Prosci ADKAR Model provides organizations with a path forward through challenging layoffs, downsizing, reorganizations and RIFs. When you use it to focus on the employees and individuals who are staying, it’s a guide for maintaining organizational integrity, morale, and ultimately, success during the transition. By adhering to structured approaches like the Prosci Methodology and 3-Phase Process, organizations can better support all stakeholders involved, ensure a smoother transition, and foster a culture of transparency, dignity and respect.

Resistance management is a critical activity for people managers during change. Of the five CLARC roles managers perform—Communicator, Liaison, Advocate, Resistance Manager and Coach—it's often the most difficult to learn and execute well. Applying Prosci's Top 10 Tactics for Managing Resistance will help you identify and focus on the right issues—so you can help your teams through their change journeys, and engage with and adopt critical changes in your organization. Prosci's Top 10 Tactics for Managing Resistance 1. Listen and understand objections 2. Focus on the "what" and let go of the "how" 3. Remove barriers 4. Provide simple, clear choices and consequences 5. Create hope 6. Show the benefits in a real and tangible way 7. Make a personal appeal 8. Convert the strongest dissenters 9. Demonstrate consequences 10. Provide incentives Prosci's Tactics for Managing Resistance to Change A large part of being a strong resistance manager is being proactive or preventative. Resistance prevention, or anticipating and planning to deal with resistant behaviors, is built into the entire Prosci 3-Phase Process. It's also the primary focus of our six-hour program for people managers, Leading Your Team Through Change. However, when resistant behaviors persist, you can use the tactics Prosci developed to help impacted people on your team move through their transitions. Note that resistance management is not about assigning blame to people or labeling them as "resisters." Resistant behaviors are a natural reaction to change. Applying these tactics enables you to meet people where they are with empathy and address the underlying reasons for why they're not adopting changes. The tactics are also designed to be applied in the order presented. 1. Listen and understand objections When experiencing resistant behaviors, the first and most important thing to do is listen to understand the reasons for the objections. While this sounds like common sense when juxtaposed against the fast-paced corporate world, even the most seasoned manager can forget to listen. Too often, managers and teams bypass each other in conversation because they're not actively listening and understanding one another. In Prosci programs, we often discuss the sender-and-receiver concept because people listen through their personal filters. 2. Focus on the "what" and let go of the "how" "Don't do the change to me—do the change with me!" As the people manager, we should focus on what needs to be accomplished and offer the team the opportunity to provide input on how to accomplish the change. When you know the end goal, the approach for getting there can be shared by those proceeding through the change. We see this when organizations move to a hybrid work environment. Organizations that transition quickly are encouraging people to share input on how to proceed forward. 3. Remove barriers As a people manager, you understand where your team members' resistance points reside. Perhaps they are related to job motivation, job security, career progression and personal commitments. Consider, for example, an organization that just switched out everyone's laptops. A team member now finds doing their work uncomfortable, so they don't want to finish it. That's a physical barrier. And employees may not feel like they should have to tell you that. When people managers come up against this kind of resistant behavior, they can probe to understand and help employees address what's holding them back from adopting the change. 4. Provide simple, clear choices and consequences In some cases, a people manager must be direct by saying, "I understand that you may not be interested in participating in this change, but the team will follow this new process as explained by our Awareness campaign. If you don't choose to adopt the new changes, X will be the result." The key is to provide choices in a clear and straightforward manner, and include any consequences of their decisions. 5. Create hope Creating hope focuses on the future state. What's on the other side of adopting and using the change? What is the opportunity associated with it? Having a well-constructed "why" helps with creating hope. Think through this template: "If we just do X, we will be able to do Y." For example, "By completing this digital transformation initiative, we will achieve greater collaboration to serve our clients and reduce the time spent on administrative tasks." People managers can create Desire for the change by sharing their authentic passion through creating excitement and enthusiasm. 6. Show the benefits in a real and tangible way People can have a hard time envisioning the future state of a change. We like to say that the current state is rooted in emotion, but the future state is rooted in analytics. In other words, when a person has never done something before, you can show them through data and evidence that they're going to get there. For example, consider sharing case studies or information explaining how others have navigated the change and how things have been better because of it. This tactic is an excellent way for a people manager to cool down resistant behaviors. 7. Make a personal appeal Try making a personal appeal to teams with a high degree of trust and an open relationship. Ask for your team's support and restate why you believe the change will benefit the team. To authentically advocate for the change, ensure that you have worked through your own Awareness and Desire before starting the team's ADKAR journey. 8. Convert the strongest dissenters The most vigorous dissenters can become your strongest advocates. Sometimes the natural tendency is to avoid the strongest dissenters. However, if the manager can invest in interventions or tactics to convert dissenters, they might find a strong advocate. Focus on Awareness and Desire, and articulating what's in it for them (WIIFM). Listen for the root cause of their resistant behaviors and solve it from there. For example, if you're taking away job responsibilities or changing the compensation structure, those are challenging changes. What's in it for someone on the receiving end? Converting the strongest dissenters is all about the art of an Awareness-and-Desire conversation. Remember that everyone goes through their ADKAR journey at their own pace. As the people manager, you may need to have the conversation a few times. Use your ability to anticipate the resistant behaviors and help plan for the strongest dissenters. What can you have prepared to help them move forward? The Prosci ADKAR Model 9. Demonstrate consequences As a last resort, demonstrating consequences is a viable form of resistance management. However, use this tactic with caution. Once employed, the results will become part of the organizational history that may have cascading impacts on employee engagement. Consult with HR and legal before using. 10. Provide incentives In this tactic, people managers can offer bonuses, extra time off, or the ability to work from home in exchange for adopting the change—a little quid pro quo. Sometimes it's effective and sometimes it's not. I've seen this work well during an artificial intelligence transformation initiative. The company offered a group of exiting employees a retention bonus to provide training and coaching to the process enhancement team. The exiting employees took the offer and worked tirelessly to make the transformation a success, even though the result would be that they would no longer have a job. When asked why they were so helpful, they shared that although they appreciated the bonus, their pride in their job and gratitude to the company got them through the change. In addition, they wanted to end their time there with dignity and respect. Resistance Management Tactics in Practice In reality, people managers will use several tactics to help resolve a single issue. Good managers always start with listening to objections and proceed from there. For example, when converting strong dissenters, you might start by listening to objections, explaining why we're making the change, creating hope, showing some benefits, and maybe providing clear choices. Finally, you might need to go back to make a personal appeal, remove barriers, and listen and understand objections. You may also have a great conversation and think the issue is resolved, only to have the conversation again. People don't all change at the same rate—some need more time to move between their current, transition and future states. And that's OK. To help expedite your conversations, anticipate the resistant behaviors and respond proactively. As you develop skills as a people manager, the tactics feel familiar and natural in certain situations, and you'll get better at it over time. That's the beauty of Prosci's resistance management tactics. Learn to Manage Resistance to Change Resistance is a normal, human reaction to change. And as such, you should never underestimate the comfort with how things are currently done. As a people manager, you may want to ignore the resistance, hoping it will dissipate or believing the issue to be on the team member's side. However, resistance can always be linked to a missing ADKAR element. So, before casually labelling a team member as a "resister," try employing these top 10 tactics to address the behaviors.