I've been told by senior management that my entire department, including myself, must have a 10 per cent pay cut. The company is going through a restructure and I have to deliver the news to the team. I'm expecting an angry reaction, so what is the best way to tell them? JM, Dubai
Being the bearer of bad news is never a good thing, but it is something that comes as part and parcel of being in a management position. The situation your company is now in, leading you to act as go-between the senior management and staff, is not uncommon. It doesn’t make the task any simpler or the risk of a potential backlash any less fierce – especially when the news will have a significant financial effect on people’s lives, at a time when many of us across the UAE are mindful of the cost of living.
Ironically, the only silver lining (for preparing to deliver this bad news) is that along with your department, you must also take a 10 per cent pay cut. Therefore you will also suffer as a result of the restructure. In this situation, you can truly empathise with your staff and they should be able to relate to you. Empathy is your No 1 superpower – use your own concerns, worries and questions as the fuel to really connect with each and every one of them.
As you can already predict an angry reaction, it is important you consider how to present this information. Nevertheless, how you respond in the days, weeks and months after the message is delivered is equally, if not more, critical.
You won’t be able to avoid other people’s anger, as I am sure you were also angry when given the news.
Personally, if I was going to deliver this information I would focus on clearly relaying the messages I received from senior management, answering as many questions as possible and sharing my own personal experience.
I would expect and acknowledge the shock, anger, worry, anxiety and frustration and I would avoid letting this anger be directed at me. Instead I would allow these feelings to be directed at the situation, as it will be a way of people coping with this change.
When human beings go through any change they often experience a range of emotions that tend to operate in distinct stages. The stages occur during a life or job change, a redundancy, an illness or a bereavement.
Many of us start with shock and surprise as the event is unexpected – “I can’t believe the company would do this to me after all I have done for them”. We then move into denial, disbelief or avoidance – “Let me find out for myself if this is the true” or “It’s just us taking this pay cut, not you”.
We then become frustrated and angry when we recognise that we are losing out and as then the reality that we can’t change things hits us, it brings our mood down completely, like the air being burst from a balloon. You may see a significant drop in motivation level and productivity in the department in the subsequent weeks. Eventually, we have to get used to the situation and regrettably accept it.
During this stage you may experience some causalities, as some people feel the new future is not one they want to be part of.
This reaction to the change will inevitably happen in some shape or form from the collective department. Yet at the same time, individuals will make sense of the situation in their own way. Your role, while accepting the situation for yourself, is to be there for your people and continue to serve as a messenger between senior management and staff as the restructure takes place. Also insist that the senior management get down on to the floor and speak with their people, showing their own personal concern and also clearly articulating if they know when salaries can return back to normal.
Offering a light at the end of the tunnel could be the only way that keeps people going during this period of uncertainty.
No one wants to be the bearer of bad news, especially in a situation where they are personally affected. Yet your own feelings are an important tool when delivering this message and managing the backlash. You must accept that emotions are a natural part of change and then allow people to deal with it naturally in their own way.
Alex Davda is a business psychologist and client director at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, and is based in the Middle East. Email him at business@thenational.ae for advice on any work issues.
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