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Today, we wanted to highlight one of our clients. Her name is Azizi Marshall, and she's a licensed clinical professional counselor, drama therapist, and Founder/CEO of the Center for Creative Arts Therapy.
As many of you have seen the Don Lemon situation unfold, there have been many mixed feelings about the fact that it happened and also surrounding how it was handled.
I admit, when I first heard about it I was shocked but then when I heard he found out through a third party? I was completely baffled. He has been at CNN for 17 years and the least he should have received was a direct phone to schedule a meeting.
The lack of respect is at an all-time high when individuals these days and businesses as well. During a conversation with Azizi this topic came up and she decided to share some expert tips on How to Improve Your Company Culture After a Termination.
Below, you will find her tips:
Re-establish long-term company goals and vision. Firing can cause rumblings amongst your teams, and it’s imperative to assure them that the company is in good health. Communicating with your remaining employees helps to reaffirm the long-term vision, and helps alleviate any fears of workplace sustainability.
Celebrate and support the remaining employees for their fabulous work. There are always people doing amazing work within your organization. Celebrating those who go above and beyond humanizes the business by showing that even during challenging transitions, you respect and honor employees who care enough to do extraordinary work.
Treat the terminated employee with respect and dignity. This is a human being who deserves respect. Believe me, how they are treated when you let them go will get back to your remaining employees. Treating the employee with dignity will help your remaining employees feel less disgruntled.
Communication is key. Communicate clearly and often why the choice was made while explaining the next steps; helping employees to focus on the future of the business and how the company is moving forward despite the changes in staffing. Genuine and honest communication is the best way to keep morale up during a staffing change.
Have a heart and show it. The decision to terminate an employee doesn’t only affect a company’s bottom line, it also affects the people losing their jobs, their families, managers delivering the difficult news, remaining employees, and, if not handled with great care, potential future employees, vendors, customers, and investors. With empathetic approaches to appropriately manage the needs of all involved, your business can emerge from a challenging moment with a renewed sense of resilience, hope, and fortitude.
Let there be laughter and food. Lighten the mood soon after a layoff by bringing in pastries and coffee one morning, take the team out to lunch, or order pizza. Plan time to relax, unwind, regroup, and refocus. Remind your employees that they are part of a company that cares about them, and that they are part of an empowering mission.
If any of these tips resonate with you, please share them with your network. You can connect with Azizi via Instagram by clicking HERE. In addition, Azizi and the Center for Creative Arts Therapy are launching their inaugural Mental Health @ Work Summit: The Stigma Free Experience in Chicago, IL and it will be held July 21-23, 2023. The Stigma Free Experience focuses on providing live, interactive, and empowering mental health training for managers, leaders, c-suite executives, and HR professionals dedicated to reducing the stigma around mental health in the workplace with the help of the Stigma Free Actors, mental health leaders, and allyship experts.
For media inquiries, please email samantha@candicenicolepr.com.
