If you’re an employer delivering difficult news…

Problems always arise in the workplace, and hard decisions have to be made. As a manager or supervisor, it is your responsibility sometimes to deliver difficult news to your employees. Out of instinct, you might default to softening the blow by using small talk or sugarcoating the news. But doing so might lead to false hopes or confusion. Instead, we have listed some steps on how to deliver bad news compassionately.

Research and prepare

Before breaking the news to your team, it’s crucial to gather the facts and context to prepare yourself. Get the basics first. If, for example, the company decides to lay off some employees from your team. As their leader, you’ll want to know the reason for this decision and who made it. Expect your team to ask you a lot of questions about it, so writing down a list of potential questions they might ask can help too. Coming into the conversation prepared shows that you care for them.

Be honest and direct

When delivering the news, it’s about the delivery. Make sure to say it directly and to the point. Try to avoid beating around the bush or using small talk as a buffer. Not only are you wasting time, but it also doesn’t help in making them not feel uneasy. Additionally, when sharing difficult news, use simple language and avoid using business jargon. This is also when you would provide the context or the basis of the decision. You can share your emotions and be sympathetic to your workers during this time, but as the bridge between your workers and the higher powers, you still need to be neutral and still support the decision even if you disagree with it.

Allow them time and space to respond

Delivering bad news can hit hard emotionally, so allow your employees time to process the information. You can ask them if they have any questions or have them ask you later when they’re ready. At this time, you offer empathy to your employees and listen to their concerns and questions or if they want to vent. 

Follow up with the next steps

This is your opportunity to lay out the following steps, and what you and your team can do in light of this news, whether it’s improving what you and your team have already done or motivating them to keep working harder despite the situation. As a leader, it is your job to offer guidance and advice to your workers, especially when they feel lost or miserable.

If you’re an employee delivering difficult news…

It’s only normal to feel scared when you have to break unfavourable news to your boss, whether telling them about a mistake you made or if you’re planning to quit. Here are a few things you can do:

Prepare yourself emotionally

Take the time to calm your nerves so you can think about what you want to say. So when you disclose the news, you’ll be able to do so calmly and clearly and demonstrate your professionalism. 

Tell only your boss

If you want to tell your boss that you want to quit, for example, establish the context for the conversation. Don’t mention it casually or in passing to them and instead talk to them one-on-one. 

Provide all information

If you’re telling your boss you’re quitting, then be honest and share the reasons why. If you’ve made a mistake while doing your job, don’t omit any details. Your superior would need all the information to determine how to handle the situation. Plus, honesty and admitting your mistake will make them appreciate you. Also, be objective and stick to explaining the case and the reasons or causes. 

Offer solutions

If necessary, think of and offer possible solutions to the problem. Discuss with your boss the steps you’ve taken to minimise any damage or any ideas you might have to solve the problem.

Things won’t always work out our way. Still, as long as we continue to be honest and upfront and maintain a degree of professionalism and empathy when dealing with unfavourable situations, you can avoid damaging your work relationships.

Did you have to go through a similar situation? Tell us how you did it by getting in touch with one of the best digital recruitment agencies in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.

Everyone has experienced a bad job interview. Of course, there could be a lot of reasons why an interview fell through. Not enough preparation, perhaps, or you got a bad case of the interview jitters. On the other hand, maybe it was something out of your control. Nevertheless, it’s not the end of the world if you had a less-than-stellar outcome. To help you out, we’ve listed down some tips to help you bounce back and try again.

• Take A Breather

You might feel down and disappointed after a bad job interview. It’s normal to feel that way, and it’s better to let yourself feel it for a while rather than repressing it. However, don’t let it spiral into negativity. We can be our own worst critics. What you can do instead is to try and reframe your mindset by acknowledging your efforts instead of the result. The disappointment you feel is because you went for a job that you wanted. It may not have gone well, but you can at least give yourself credit for trying. If you’re the type to write out your feelings, journal your thoughts and experience during the interview. You can list down the mistakes you feel you made and reflect on your emotions after the interview.

• Revisit And Assess Your Performance

After taking time to reflect on your emotions, you can then move on to the next step with a clear mind. It’s time to assess how you did during the interview honestly. If you wrote down a list of what you feel you did wrong, this is the time to go back to it. Walking through that interview again, you can assess what you did wrong and what you did right and hopefully do some damage control.

Could you have prepared better and brought a strong portfolio or resume? Did you do your research about the company? Were you fully engaged? Or could you have given better answers? Perhaps your nerves got the better of you. Taking note of these questions can help you identify what you need to improve for your next job interview.

• Ask For Feedback

Now that you’ve reflected on your performance during the job interview, you can also reach out to the interviewer or recruiter for feedback. They’re the ones who can let you know why they felt that the interview didn’t go well. And don’t be afraid to ask because their feedback might not be as harsh or personal as you might think. They might even be good pointers to remember for future interviews. You can also take this as an opportunity to clarify anything in case wires got crossed that may have caused some confusion. Or, if you’ve made a big mistake, you can explain it to the interviewer.

• Learn From The Experience And Try Again

You’ve received valuable feedback and have determined what you need to improve. All you can do now is to turn that negative experience into a positive one. Make a plan for the next interview so you can avoid repeating your mistakes. Focus on your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. You can outline possible questions so you can prepare a better answer or do more research. You can even practice beforehand to build your confidence up. By this time, you’re in a stronger position because of newfound awareness and confidence to get a better-suited job for you.

Like all life experiences, what you can do after a bad job interview is to pick yourself back up, learn from it and try anew. But, of course, it’s not the end of the road yet for you. And who knows, maybe you’ll find a brand new opportunity far better than what you were aiming for.

Got a bad interview experience you’d like to share to help job seekers with what to avoid? We’d love to know! Get in touch with one of the best Tech & Digital recruitment agencies in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.

Being a parent is a job on its own. The fact that many in the workforce are parents means that they have to juggle being a parent and an employee. Maintaining a work-life balance can be challenging, but leaders can do their part in supporting working parents. Here are some ways you can do so.

Putting family-friendly policies in place

As a leader, you are responsible for having policies that promote the culture and uplift your workers. They’re just not there for legal compliance. For instance, paid leave policies such as sick leave and maternity/paternity leave should be fair and equal. Do your policies support families enough? Do they also support all kinds of families? Asking these questions is helpful to make sure that the right policies are in place.

Granting flexible work arrangements

We’re now well into a remote working setup, and many of us are adjusting to it. Working parents especially prefer this option as it allows them to spend time at home with their kids. So, once things go back to normal, why not let working parents continue to work from home? Providing proper support means they are less likely to become overwhelmed. Take note also that flexibility is not merely allowing them to work from home; it also means flexible hours or options for part-time work or more. 

Connect them to resources

Another good way of supporting the working parents in your team employees is by connecting them to resources to help with work-life balance. These could be employee assistance programs, counselling, healthcare benefits, and childcare assistance. These might be available in your organisations, but perhaps they don’t know about them. Be proactive and don’t stop at only informing them; help them to connect and remove the stigma around using them. The more they feel they can talk about getting support from these programs, the more likely you’ll create a culture where employee assistance programs can actually help. This in turn will help other employees who need help be more comfortable with seeking much-needed help, not just the working parents. 

Focusing on results

Your company can also adopt an outcome-based work style instead. With the new normal, being a productive worker is not measured by how many hours they’ve worked at the office but by the quality of work produced. By focusing on results instead, working parents have the freedom to do their job at their own pace while still having the time and energy to focus on their home life. 

Communicate openly

Of course, providing support would not be possible without open communication and transparency. Working parents face different issues, and providing them with a channel to freely voice their concerns and ask for additional support is essential. For instance, you can do regular check-ins with the working parents to see how they’re faring. Categorising your communication with them is also vital. For example, you can help them prioritise their workload by simply labelling your emails as “Not Urgent/Urgent,” or “For Monday,” so they know what to work on and what can wait.

It’s more crucial more than ever that employers try their best to support their employees, especially working parents. Regardless of what kind of support your company is doing, what matters is that they don’t feel overwhelmed, and that they can do what they must without sacrificing either their job or their family time. How does your company support the parents in your team?

Get in touch with the best IT recruitment agencies in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.