7 steps to making layoffs more compassionate

Leaders can effectively blend compassion and strength by practicing "assertive empathy," write Laura Berger and Glen Tibaldeo, the authors of "Radical Sabbatical," who define the concept as blending support with the ability to clearly and respectfully set boundaries. "This synergy enhances communication, conflict resolution, and overall well-being in professional environments, demonstrating that leaders can be firm in their decisions while being deeply empathetic," they write.

Put it into practice: Assertive empathy can come in handy when dealing with team conflict by setting clear expectations while maintaining a supportive tone, Berger and Tibaldeo suggest. "This strategy not only resolves conflicts but also builds trust and fosters respect."

To conduct compassionate layoffs, it's crucial to approach the process with empathy and support, including organizing one-on-one conversations, offering job search assistance and allowing employees to express their emotions, writes Indiana Lee. "By remaining calm and comforting, you should see your employees reach some sort of closure," Lee notes.

Put it into practice: Before the layoff, draft a plan for redistributing work to others (along with more compensation for the extra work) and offer professional development and reskilling programs to help former employees find a new job, Lee recommends. "You should also help your departing employees with their next steps by offering references, coaching services, networking opportunities and more."

Office politics can lead to stress, decreased productivity and higher turnover rates, writes executive leadership coach Lolly Daskal, who suggests using the phrase "How can we find common ground?" to mitigate these effects. This phrase is designed to promote open dialogue, empathy and a solution-oriented mindset, which can reduce tension and foster more collaboration.

Put it into practice: Focusing your team on what they have in common can promote "active listening, empathy and a solution-oriented mindset," Daskal notes. "When you ask about things you have in common, it gives people space to cool down from their emotions."

ChatGPT is easily prompted to brainstorm, refine and validate ideas and to provide feedback, writes Jotform founder and CEO Aytekin Tank. The chatbot can locate high-quality sources for research, synthesize key information and organize findings; and it can automate routine tasks like summarizing meeting notes, generating a list of action items and drafting follow-up emails, Tank writes.

Halloween's association with candy is a relatively recent development, with trick-or-treating only becoming widespread in the United States in the late 1940s. Initially, children received a variety of items such as coins, nuts and toys, rather than candy. It wasn't until later that candy became the dominant treat, partly due to marketing efforts by companies like Kool-Aid and Kellogg's. Historically, Halloween was more about pranks than treats, with candy playing no special role until the mid-20th century.

If the current feeling of division in the US tells us anything it's that we all have differing ways of viewing the world and often incredibly divergent views on how we wish things to be. This, of course, can cause a lot of tension, especially if we hide inside our bubble of people who agree with us.

When we're in the office, though, it's likely we'll be working with others who hold differing views from our own. This is where Lolly Daskal's advice can come in handy. I've worked with those who have polar opposite views and beliefs, and her advice to focus on common ground can be a game changer.

Instead of focusing on what makes us different, we search for areas of commonality. It can be as simple as both liking the same kinds of food, a sports team in common or the joy we feel when we're with our kids, grandkids or pets. When we take time to dig deeper beyond our differences, we have a more difficult time "othering" each other. We may never agree in areas of politics or other hot-button issues. However, when we can see the humanity within each other, we understand that we all want the same things -- security, joy, peace and a feeling of belonging. We just disagree on how best to achieve those things.

Many of us are indeed anxious at this moment. What can make us less anxious is getting to know those with whom we disagree so we can see that we all have so much more in common than we disagree on. This can help us in the workplace, of course. But, it can also help to heal overall divisions within our country.

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