Connect with us

Business

Top 4 Tips for Breaking Bad News to Employees

Delivering bad news is one of the toughest tasks that managers have to face. Bad news comes in many forms, including communicating poor employee performance, bad financial situations, expected layoffs and many other topics that aren’t easy to deal with. On the face of it, the truth might seem quite difficult to convey. However, it is the anxiety that the bad news is likely to generate and the likelihood that employees might not receive the news well that concerns most people. Employees will judge your management skills according to your actions. If you haven’t, for example, acquired a business management degree online, it will be important that you know how to handle the bad times just as well as the good times to avoid sabotaging employee productivity in the future.
Top 4 Tips for Breaking Bad News to Employees
How to be an effective bearer of difficult news 
1.     Consider your timing and medium 
Being a bearer of bad news is very unpleasant. However, breaking the news in the wrong way or at the wrong time makes it even worse. Many managers nowadays prefer to relay bad news via email. Even though it might not be easy to look at your employees in the eyes and give them bad news, communicating bad news via email is quite cowardly. When and how you deliver your message makes the difference. So, how can you do it right?
The right medium

  • When handling one-on-one situations, you should invite a human resources representative or other relevant person to be present in the room.
  • If you are intending to make a large announcement affecting several employees, it is advisable to first break the affected employees into smaller groups, and relay the bad news to each of these groups separately. Engaging smaller groups is particularly ideal for situations where you allow the employees to ask questions or vent their frustrations.
  • Under certain circumstances, it would be wise to break the news to all the employees at once – there’s no need for smaller groups. A large group setting allows you to relay the bad news to everyone, hence leaving little room for speculation, false information, and rumors.

The right timing  
The right time to deliver bad news usually depends on the kind of situation you are facing. For instance, the ideal time for big company-wide announcements is in the late hours, on the days towards the end of the week. However, issues such as letting go an employee caught stealing should be done when the day starts – seeing a colleague being escorted out of the building will serve as a warning to the rest.
2.    Avoid procrastination 
It is common to find managers waiting for the last possible minute to convey bad news to their employees, with the hope that something might come up that would make it unnecessary to convey the news or at least make it less severe. Unfortunately, this procrastination only serves to exasperate your employees and cause unnecessary tension. Addressing the issue quickly enables your workers to deal with the situation and move forward.
3.    Prepare adequately 
Bad news is usually just as hard on the person relaying the message, as it is on the person receiving it. For this reason, you must ensure that you are in control of your own emotions, regarding the news, before you can try passing it on to others.
4.    Ensure you deliver the message clearly and directly  
You should avoid giving hints and unnecessary explanations when delivering bad news. In addition, ensure that you are as direct as possible – don’t be evasive or use a soft tone in order to lessen the impact. Sugar-coating the message or giving out too much information may lead to the employees misunderstanding the real intention of the message.

Continue Reading

Recent Posts

Business5 days ago

The Invisible Hands: Unveiling How Food Distributors Influence the Quality of Our Foods

Ever found yourself wondering why the tomatoes in your salad taste particularly fresh or why your preferred brand of coffee...

Marketing5 days ago

Webflow CMS: A Comprehensive Guide

Webflow is a powerful tool that allows you to create and manage dynamic websites without needing to code. It’s a...

Business5 days ago

The Three Most Important Benefits You Should Offer To Your Employees

Offering your employees a range of benefits on top of regular salary increases will really help to show that you...

Business4 weeks ago

Business Tips For Protecting Your Finances During A Recession

In 2024, taking the necessary steps to protect your finances for your business is now more important than ever. The...

Green & Energy1 month ago

Air Conditioning Installation: What You Need to Know

When it comes to getting an air conditioning unit installed, can significantly improve your comfort and home environment, especially during...

Marketing1 month ago

Marketing Tips For A Gym Wear Brand

When starting a gym wear brand, there are a few things you need to do and one of them is...

General2 months ago

Social Media Marketing: What Are All The Types?

Social media marketing is a tool that is a must-have in today’s digital age. it’s very rare that businesses can...

Business2 months ago

How To Become A Property Developer

There are several reasons why an individual will want to become a property developer. One of the main reasons for...

Business2 months ago

Remote Delivery Innovations: Case Studies from Leading E-commerce Brands

People have gone through much change in the past few years when it comes to online shopping. Nowadays, when delivery...

Business3 months ago

Why are Brits turning to online-only banks?

For years, large, conventional banks held all the aces when it comes to citizens’ finances in the UK. HSBC, Lloyds...

5 Important Web Design Considerations to Make For Better SEO 5 Important Web Design Considerations to Make For Better SEO
Tech3 months ago

5 Important Web Design Considerations to Make For Better SEO

Ever since the birth of search engines, practices in optimising websites for better search rankings have changed considerably. Where it...

SEO4 months ago

The Importance of Local SEO for Small Businesses

There are many different types of businesses and all of them will require online marketing however, with a small business,...

General4 months ago

Understanding The Unsung Heroes: Cool Rooms And The Importance Of Regular Repairs

Everybody loves a breath of fresh air when entering a superstore! But have you ever wondered who’s working backstage to...

Home Improvement7 months ago

How To Add More Value To Your Home

If you have some spare cash in the bank, it is likely you would like to spend it on your...

Lifestyle7 months ago

What is a Deep Plane Facelift

Cosmetic surgery is a choice that needs a lot of research and when it comes to thinking about a facelift...

Categories

Archives

Trending