Dear Helpdesk: Uplifting Team Morale During Financial Uncertainty and Layoff Threats

Dear Helpdesk by Infection Control Today

Dear Helpdesk,

In uncertain financial times and with threats of possible layoffs, how do you reassure and maintain retention in your team?

Thanks,

Leading Through Turbulence

Dear Leading Through Turbulence,

Working in an environment of uncertain financial times and rumors of layoffs can rock the morale of any team. As a leader, it can be challenging to navigate the fear of losing team members and manage the fear of your role possibly being in jeopardy. Feeling some anxiety and uncertainty about how to navigate these waters is completely valid. How could you not? Before I dive into some strategies to reassure and retain your team, I would like to acknowledge how you are feeling and coping.

As an infection prevention (IP) leader who has gone through this issue and a coach who has worked with other IP leaders in your shoes, please know you are not alone. Your approach will depend on the situation. Are you facing rumors of layoffs, or do you have solid intel that layoffs are imminent?

Option A: Separating Fact From Fiction

Unless you receive notification of possible or confirmed layoffs from your leadership, consider treating the information as unverified. In this instance, the priority is to separate what you know and can verify from what is mere speculation. In tandem, where is the information coming from, and what might your team be hearing? Ideally, you can have a thoughtful conversation with your manager and department leadership regarding the validity of the rumors, with clear messaging addressing possible rumors coming directly from leadership.

Infection prevention leader leading through turbulent waters

(Image credit: Author with AI)

In this instance, you will likely be provided direction and scripting on how leadership wants this addressed. Depending on the situation, there may be limited department-level leadership meetings or broader discussions, such as a town hall, where everyone is invited and can ask questions. More specific strategies to navigate this are below.

Option B: Layoffs Are coming

In this scenario, you have received confirmed information from your leadership that layoffs will occur. You will be given information from your leadership on how layoffs will be determined, who in the department or your team will be laid off, and the possible timeline.

Strategies to Reassure and Retain Your Team

Layoffs affect everyone—those individuals who are let go, teams left behind, the workload, and the leaders who must hold everyone together. For those laid off, it can feel like having a sinkhole open under their feet. For the coworkers left behind, they may have an array of conflicting feelings. The leaders who remain may have feelings of anger and anxiety about what happens next. Regardless of who you are in this narrative, it is a problematic situation that has ripple effects long after the actual layoffs have concluded.

During times of transition and turbulence, what we crave most are communication and connectedness. As a leader, your team needs clear, transparent communication that they can trust, and your priority should be the team's needs and concerns. When communicating with your team, stick to the facts and scripted talking points whenever possible. While you may not have all the answers, you can listen to your team’s concerns, collate their questions, and share them with leadership. You can also sit with them during this time of uncertainty and allow them to express their feelings without judgment. During this time, your team is what we all as individuals need—to feel seen, valued, and recognized.

Consider holding regular meetings for your team to keep everyone informed of any updates, create space to share concerns, and provide an opportunity to ask questions. A regular cadence helps build trust, minimize rumors, and help your team compartmentalize this looming threat while still needing to do the work. Holding this space where everyone can speak freely and openly also helps to normalize some of the feelings the team is experiencing.

By taking a team-centered approach, you can cultivate the team’s focus and individual value. Take time to recognize recent wins and highlight their impact on the organization. When wading through turbulent times, your team’s sense of self, identity, and value of themselves may be affected. By spotlighting how the team is adding value and how they are appreciated, it reiterates and reaffirms that layoffs do not reflect their worth.

Holding your team together while in layoff limbo is challenging. Some members of your team may feel the best course of action is to start looking at open positions at other facilities or an internal transfer. These are often your top performers with a wealth of invaluable experience. Considering potential layoffs and their impact on your team, what's the best strategy to prepare these high-potential individuals for the coming challenges? Perhaps this could involve them in leadership roles or upskilling team members through initiatives like Six Sigma training.

Consider how you can prioritize professional development opportunities for your team. This may involve offering mentorship and training opportunities or setting up warm introductions to individuals in your professional network who can help advance their careers. Remember, a team member who feels valued and supported is less likely to seek employment elsewhere.

Finally, a last-ditch option for your consideration. As infection preventionists, we are intricately woven into our organization's regulatory and quality components. Senior leadership may not understand the downstream impact of reducing the IP team. Depending on your team’s circumstances, consider how you can advocate for and make the role transparent that your team fulfills for the facility. This may be what Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) regulations your team is responsible for, the involvement in implementing and sustaining health care-associated infection initiatives, or the impact of an unidentified in-patient tuberculosis exposure. Consider connecting with your mentors, IP leader network, local Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Chapter, or virtually through APIC Connect on ideas on what metrics may be value added to present to your leadership.

By implementing these strategies, you prioritize a team-centered approach grounded in clear, transparent communication that they trust while fostering connectedness. Hold consistent meetings with your team to provide updates, hold space for questions, and continue to recognize the amazing, passionate team of infection preventionists with whom you have the privilege to work. Show them how much you value them by continuing to build them up by encouraging professional development and networking. During turbulent times, you may be unable to influence how layoffs impact your team; however, you do have the ability to face this challenge head-on and lead your team to calmer waters.