Spain’s government is considering shutting down the siesta. What is the siesta you ask? It’s the three hours in the afternoon that Spain’s workers are legally allowed to go home and rest. The average workday in Spain starts at about 10AM, employees work until about 2pm, and return to work from 5 to 8PM. Critics of the siesta say it has a direct connection to Spain’s faltering economy, and while workers seemingly report a higher level of job satisfaction, Spain’s government doesn’t feel like the country can afford it any more. Has your company ever had to do away with a popular company perk, one that is even woven into your company culture? This can be a difficult thing to communicate so we put together a list highlighting what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to communicating this information.
1.Don’t send an email or have a consultant break the news.
Open communication when it comes to bad news is the best policy. It stifles the ability for the rumor mill to run rampant, it squashes the possibility that misinterpretation will be the main takeaway, and it will provide a forum for employees to ask questions. As uncomfortable as it will be to field questions from potentially unhappy employees, it’s better that they hear it from the person in charge versus drawing their own conclusions.
2.Don’t spring it on them.
For example, if you’re going to stop on-site dry cleaning, don’t have employees show up one morning to no one at the dry cleaning desk. This will leave employees who are counting on this service in a lurch. The employees that are there to pick up their items will probably panic about whether or not they’ll get their clothing back. Without an explanation, the rumor mill and fear about the company coming to a grinding halt will take center stage. If there isn’t a message about why it’s happening, people will assume the worst. If it’s temporary, or you’re just switching dry-cleaners because an RFP came back with a different vendor offering lower costs, make sure that’s communicated. According to an employee engagement survey from TINYpulse, one of the main reasons that employees stay at a company is because they feel like their leadership is transparent. The more warning and explanation you can give your employees, the more likely they are to stay with you when times get tough.
3.Let them choose.
If you have the option to let the employees choose which perk goes away, let them feel like they’re part of the process. For instance, some workplaces might choose to keep the fruit juice but get rid of the coffee. Others would keep the coffee over a monthly parking stipend. If you can give them four options and explain that the one receiving the most votes for discontinuation would no longer be offered after xyz date, you’ll let them know you care about what they think, and in spite of having to cut something, their happiness matters to you. You’ll end up getting buy in from your employees on something that does not benefit them.
3.Is this forever?
If this is a temporary situation, be sure to give a reason for its discontinuation. If it’s permanent, will another perk be offered in its place? If yes, we’re hoping that you also employed the advice in point number three, getting buy in, from your employees before you replace a once beloved perk with something else. If you can provide some context around why you’re choosing to cut this offering in favor of bonuses or other highly valued rewards, your employees will likely relate this to a business case, not your wanting to cut costs in order to afford a summer house.
4.What else?
Is this the beginning of the end? If this goes, will everything else that makes it worth working at your company be going away? -Your employees will likely be thinking this if they’re not saying it to their peers. A heavy dose of fiscal reality should, if possible, be accompanied by a healthy helping of what’s going right. If you don’t have any good news to share, try not to solely focus on the bad. Do your best to keep it as positive as possible, but don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Delivering bad news is never enjoyable. However, if you get employee buy-in and don’t send a tersely worded email outlining the undesirable change, your employees will likely respect your decision more, and are less likely to feel like you don’t appreciate them. Your employees will understand when you explain it to them that business cycles happen, and this one isn’t favoring your company right now. -If you are planning on buying a new Tesla or taking a four week trip to Europe, it will be best to keep those things to yourself until the perks come back, or your employees are used to the “new normal.”