In a cost-saving restructure, a number of staff in management positions in our organisation, including me as an L&D leader, have been told they can either stay and take a downgrade, or take redundancy. This has nothing to do with ability, or success in the job, and everything to do with de-layering. I need to stay, so what can I do? And how can I mitigate the adverse effects on my CV?
You say you need to stay in your role, and I’m sure – like most of us – you can’t just afford to walk away. But it must be clear to you that looking for something new is the most sensible option right now. And it isn’t the change to your job title that’s the real issue here.
Recruiters and hiring managers can get hung up on titles, but if your CV is carefully constructed to concentrate on your achievements, knowledge, skills and ability – as well as giving a sense of the level at which you’re operating – that can be overcome. You can afford to be honest about the situation on your CV, and explain the de-layering briefly and clearly. What you do is still more important than who you are to potential employers, though I concede titles do still matter when it comes to internal hierarchies.
The real problem (and the reason I wouldn’t blame you for feeling demoralised) is that in seeking to remove a layer of management, your organisation has sought to downgrade across the board rather than go through an objective process. It would have been fairer to have asked employees to reapply for their roles and be judged on their abilities, instead of this blanket approach. Ultimately, the business will lose out since the most talented and employable people will be the first to leave. I hope you’re among them.
CEO wants to give union the axe
Most of our staff now are not members of the main union in our sector, and our CEO thinks we should de-recognise it, as he feels it wastes HR and management time. But I think the message we would send by de-recognising the union could be very damaging and we should proceed with caution. Am I right to worry?
This is a timely topic, given the potential for the new government to tighten the rules on strike action. But that timeliness presents a problem for you, as you don’t want to be seen to jump on a union-bashing bandwagon. And you’re certainly right to fear the negative sentiment among employees from de-recognising the union. In solving what your CEO perceives to be a niggling issue, you could easily create a bigger one.
I’d question where your CEO is coming from here. Presumably, he or she doesn’t have to spend a lot of time dealing with unions personally, so this stance is one of principle rather than practicality. But while trade unions get a bad press, overall they do excellent work and provide a vital outlet for employee voice. Unless you’re a business which is remarkably well attuned to what its staff feel, you need that feedback, whether it’s positive or otherwise.
There are legal hurdles to jump if you really do want to pursue de-recognition. Certain criteria must be fulfilled, and you can find details on the gov.uk site. It certainly isn’t a process that happens overnight. If you really must do it, you need to initiate a forum where employees can be genuinely represented and express their views to management.
Ideally, while this might be set up by HR, the impetus and the agenda it follows should come from staff members. It should also be bedded in during the de-recognition process, to avoid being seen as inferior replacement for the union, and it must be empowered to question leadership decisions and be involved in matters that have an impact on staff. It should be a forum for sharing information about what is happening in the business.
The best such groups can be just as effective as unions, but proceed with caution. Dealing with unions may not be straightforward, but the alternatives can be worse if they aren’t part of an integrated approach to how you engage with staff. But if you introduce a forum with the intent of creating an honest and collaborative relationship which focuses on improving the working environment and employee experience, it may just work.