And be sure to have the meeting where you talk to the staff members
being laid-off:
1. Privately, away from other staff.
2. In a neutral location. A conference room or meeting room. Instead of
your office.
3. Make sure several staff are there for the meeting. Yourself, of
course, but if possible the Museum Director. Or at least another member
of management. This extra person will help document the meeting. This
will help avoid filing of complaints or lawsuits from truly disgruntled
employees. That way you have your witness to the meeting. Unscrupulous
future ex-employees might, for example, rip their shirt and claim you
got physical with them. Then it is your word against theirs.
4. Having a few people from management at the meeting does several other
things. It shows a united mindset. "We all came to this decision, even
though it is unpleasant." It gives the staff member a chance to ask
questions of most of the people they might consider asking. And it shows
respect for the staff member. You took time out of your busy schedule to
come down and talk to me.
5. Have any terms discussed during the meeting written out on paper
before the meeting. Include anything you are doing or not doing. Such
as: staff member's last official day, what amount of severance you might
be offering, if they have a museum membership will it be honored for the
rest of the year or not, check list for museum property- keys, data
cards, computers, passwords if they have their own account, etc. Make
sure you sign it and they sign it and both of you get a copy. Since they
are part time it is a bit easier as you probably don't have to worry
about vacation hours, retirement accounts, etc.
I have been places where, when positions were eliminated, staff were
told that today was their last official day, they did not need to come
in any more, but they would be given two weeks pay, and they could use
the two weeks to begin their job search; where staff were told a month
ahead of time that their position was to be eliminated on a certain date
and that would be their last day of work; and where staff were told
today is their last day, goodbye, good luck, please leave now.
Whichever you decide to do, just make sure you are consistent and organized.
Patrick
Gayle wrote:
> The downside of giving them the book is the mindset that says if you
> can afford to buy me a book, why not keep me on a while longer and pay
> me instead.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* "Grevin, Fred" <[log in to unmask]>
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, February 4, 2009 11:20:38 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [MUSEUM-L] Layoff Survivors
>
> Deb Fuller makes a very important point, with her comment on my
> suggestion to give each laid-off employee a copy of "What Color Is
> Your Parachute?"
>
> Deb said: While that again sounds like a good idea, it is still a
> little insulting. "And now for some lovely parting gifts."
>
> While my perception would have been more along the lines of "here's
> something tangible to help me out", it is obviously possible that some
> folks could interpret it differently.
>
> So Deb's point, to me, includes "every person is different; treat each
> one as an individual".
>
> Thanks, Deb!
>
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--
Patrick McQuillan
Education & Outreach Specialist
IRIS
1200 New York Ave., NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-682-2220
Fax: 202-682-2444
www.iris.edu
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
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