By Steve Adubato, PhD

Layoffs, downsizing, reductions in workforce and "voluntary" early retirement-all these workforce realities put lots of pressure on employees and managers trying to keep things together in times of chaos and crises. Restructuring in organizations is no longer the exception, but rather the rule. One problem is that few of today's managers have the communication and leadership tools and skills (training) to deal with such complex and difficult issues.

Recently my friend Laura, who has been a staff attorney at Lucent Technologies for the past several years, agreed to a "voluntary" separation from the company. Hundreds of Laura's co-workers were laid off in a series of downsizings and restructurings. She said that ever since the downsizing started at Lucent, things have been uncertain at best and often tremendously frustrating. "Today, whether it's a voluntary separation, layoff or a reduction in work force, there are difficult issues that both employees and managers face in terms of keeping up morale, productivity and assemblance of sanity."

I asked Laura what, from her experience, are some of the biggest challenges facing managers in organizations where downsizing is a fact of organizational life. Further, what do most employees want from their manager?

"Regardless of the reason for the layoffs, each individual employee needs to feel that he or she is part of a cohesive unit. If you are one of the team players who are going to stay, you are aware that your workload is going to increase. You know that you are not going to have enough time to do your job and another person's job at the quality level the manager expects. Therefore, you need reassurance from the leader that you are all in this together."

Put another way, managers must empathize with their workers who stay as well as those who go. They must communicate with candor and compassion. Further, they can't let their own fear of an uncertain future stop them from leading.

When it comes to bad news, do most people really want the truth? According to Laura; "It depends on the employee. Some may want to know the cold-hard truth. They don't want a pipe dream that this layoff is going to solve all the problems. Personally, I would rather face the grim reality that this may not be the last layoff or downsizing."

Bottom line, managers must know their own people and communicate accordingly. Like I said, not all managers are trained to communicate in this fashion. Many people are thrown into managerial positions for reasons that have nothing to do with ability or performance. A previous column highlighted four tips on how to communicate with employees involved in an organizational "restructuring." These included:

Provide timely, accurate and candid information via e-mail, memos, staff meetings and most importantly face-to-face, one-on-one conversations.

Never lie. Enough said.

Allow employees to communicate their anxiety and/or frustration surrounding organizational restructuring.

Provide ongoing coaching and training to employees who survive the layoff. They'll need it now more than ever.

Some additional tips to consider:

Clearly communicate your vision for the organization. What exactly is the direction we are heading in? Employees who survive a downsizing need to know exactly what they are working toward.

Communicate the organizational message in a consistent fashion. Repeat that message to employees in a variety of ways, both verbally and in writing.

Talking about the organization's goals and objectives are one thing, acting in a fashion consistent with those words is another. Never forget that a manager's actions can speak a lot louder than his words, particularly with employees who have a right to be skeptical.

A great book on this subject is "Healing the Downsized Organization" by Delorese Ambrose.