I’ve seen numerous posts related to layoffs on social media. I’m not sure if it’s the circumstances we’re living in, the time of year, or just a coincidence.
No matter how sound the decision behind laying people off, you can always count on trust taking a hit. It varies from person to person based on their story, but trust will drop immediately.
Many times, I’ve seen managers try to fix the trust problem by trying to make people happy. They’ll run fun events, social functions, or give them some training. However, none of these things will work as people will see through them and, if anything, become increasingly skeptical.
The only way to rebuild trust is to start back at the beginning and earn their trust. Revisit why the team is there, talk about their motivations, and reconstruct your working agreements. Without any of these things, you’re unlikely to recover from the experience of laying off people.
You’ve got this.
p.s. If you want to learn more about building trust in your team, check out my seven-part series on building great teams.