8
Communication needs to be frequent, clear, and engage all
stakeholders during the whole process
GOETZPARTNERS‘ FOUR CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
In many headcount restructuring
programs, one of the biggest and
most fundamental mistakes
companies make is to not
communicate with its employees
or to communicate too little and
share too little information. Our
advice is: Do not keep too many
secrets for too long!
This is crucial because in the
absence of information, people will
assume the worst. Therefore, it is
important that you stay engaged
and control how it is
communicated.
This helps to create an atmosphere
of trust and through this to keep
the best talents. Provide trainings
to the executive team to sensitize
them
CLARITY
AT A GLANCE
• Explain the why, give reasons (people need
to understand the need for the
restructuring)
• Be transparent about what is known now
and what will come later and when
• Be aligned and speak with one voice – all
leaders need to give the same
information/ reasons/explanations
ENGAGEMENT
• Engage all employees by implementing
communication cascades: town hall,
business unit and departmental meetings
• Capture feedback (survey/intranet)
• Develop Q&A briefings
SUCCESS
FACTORS
FREQUENCY
• Communicate frequently, also communicate
“bad news” (be in the driver seat)
• Set clear dates for communication and
information rounds and stick to them
• Include all employees (directly and indirectly
affected employees)
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
• Make sure to include all stakeholders like
workers council/unions, government,
customers, suppliers, regulators and other
arms of government, board of directors, …
• Be aware of legal information obligations
(e.g. mass redundancy notification)
• Adapt messages accordingly
Source: goetzpartners, ERM report 2018