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This press conference explosion by Jim Mora is a classic, often replayed when current coaches have on-camera meltdowns following games. The centerpiece is, obviously, his disgusted, dismissive reaction at the question of whether his team would make the playoffs. It remains so popular, in fact, that clips of it were more recently used in the Coors Light advertising campaign that featured fictitious press conferences with questions from a group of journalists random dudes.

I included this clip for two reasons. First, I think of it (and laugh) every year this time as the NFL playoffs are nearly upon us. The second reason is that if you take the “P” out of playoffs, you have layoffs. And it seems that some companies are reacting to the question of layoffs in the same disgusted, dismissive way that Jim Mora reacted to the playoffs.

In previous posts, we’ve discussed the implications of a shortened work week. We’ve also talked about layoffs that are a result of the economic slowdown. As companies look to save money without losing valuable talent, they are also exploring alternatives to layoffs as this article from The New York Times discusses.

Regardless of whether your company opts to find alternative cost-cutting solutions or decides to lay employees off to reduce labor expenses, it is imperative to communicate openly and honestly to all employees. And even if you’re not making cuts, you should still discuss the impact of the economic situation on your business. Remember, your people want and need information and you should be a source for them in addition to blogs, newspapers, friends, family and the talking heads on cable news that they undoubtedly access for viewpoints on a regular basis.

Insidedge related posts:

It’s the economy, stupid!

In the inaugural edition of In the Know, Insidedge’s newsletter, Linda Kingman discusses how communicators can help companies deal with the tough times many businesses are facing.

Tags: economy, employee communications, layoffs

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 1:21 pm and is filed under Business and social trends, Issue and change management, employee communications reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.