Redundancies, Italians more confident in their company and redeployment

The uncertain macroeconomic environment is fuelling fears of reorganisations and, hence, redundancies. Italian workers, however, seem to be more confident than the average of an international sample including the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina. A survey, 'The culture in the balance: managing redundancies without losing confidence', carried out by Intoo (the Gi group holding company specialised in career transitions and outplacement) in collaboration with the research company Workplace Intelligence, interviewing 1,100 human resources managers and 1,100 full-time employees, showed that globally 53% of workers say they fear being involved in a redundancy plan within a year. The much lower Italian figure of 37% shows a greater confidence of people in both the solidity of their jobs and the resilience of their companies, as well as in the less traumatic landing guaranteed by the social shock absorbers and outplacement tools used in our country.

While professional continuity represents an added value in terms of contributions and social security, as well as for the path of growth and development, it is also true that low mobility does not help to create a useful network in case of change and often does not stimulate the acquisition of new skills. Almost all of the workers interviewed do not feel ready to face the possible search for a new job, both from the point of view of their professional network and of the skills and abilities needed to apply for a new position. Moreover, one in six believe that this search could take a long time: a quarter of Italians talk about more than a year.

'Even when approached with the best of intentions, staff reductions, voluntary departures, redundancies and dismissals represent complex and delicate moments in the life of an organisation,' interprets Cetti Galante, CEO of Intoo. 'One has to consider how the management of the exit inevitably reflects the corporate culture and image. And companies do not seem very well prepared. 58% of HR at an international level, in Italy the figure is 65%, admit that their company does not provide adequate support in the event of staff reductions, although 64% in Italy state that their company is committed to being fair in the dismissal process. Those directly concerned, the workers, do not seem very much aligned with this view: 60% globally and 50% in Italy believe that their managers lack empathy during layoffs. "Regardless of the operational difficulties that emerged from the research, it is now increasingly important to manage these situations in a considered manner, taking into account all the consequences both internally and externally,' Galante explains. 'It is by clearly communicating the reasons for these choices and offering concrete support, characterised by human approaches and in line with corporate values, that we can work to preserve the company's social responsibility in the long term, the employability of people inside and outside the company, the involvement of those who remain, and the attractiveness to the outside world, which is necessary for the sustainability and resilience of the business.

A badly managed redundancy plan can in fact have a negative effect on the remaining workforce, both on well-being and motivation: 80% of employees on a global scale, 78% in Italy, believe that companies tend to underestimate this impact. In fact, a dismissal triggers a strong sense of discouragement. After the announcement of a redundancy plan, 71% of workers (68% in Italy) said they were inclined to start looking for a new job immediately, while 62% (56% in Italy) lost confidence in their employer. In addition to this, one in six respondents (12% in Italy) stopped working hard, 44% (31% in Italy) considered their productivity compromised and spoke of increased stress (over 60% in Italy, 71% globally).

A perception that is very much out of line with that of human resources employees: half internationally, 42% in Italy, in fact think that those who remain would work harder when faced with the announcement of a redundancy plan. Among other things, at a time when it is very difficult to attract talent, especially in certain sectors and with certain skills, redundancies can also have significant reputational consequences. Almost half of companies globally (46% in Italy) have suffered repercussions online and about 1 in 5 workers would be ready to complain publicly: a quota that among Generation Z workers rises to 1 in 4.