Post by Stacey Fraser on Mar 17, 2021 10:51:20 GMT
Lesson 3
Background info – Easter Seals has a contract with the city of Fort Worth to provide paid job training. The contract is worth $3M annually and the green areas of the city are mowed and maintained while providing the paid job training. There are three managers in the program, 9 coaches, and usually about 90 participants working in the program at any given time. Easter Seals was informed of potential cuts but finalized info will not be known for a month.
Scene – Easter Seals offices
Senior Director meets with the three managers in the program at office
Talking points –
- Start with acknowledging and thanking for continued success in the program
- Tell about potential cuts, info handed down from the CEO just this morning
- Make clear cuts are due to COVID’s impact on economy, not job or program performance
- Convey unknowns about cuts, maybe major or minor and unknown time frame
- Talk of hoping to absorb staff in other areas of the organization, that you will be reaching out to other directors in the organization (absorption of staff, minimizing reductions)
- Propose that the three managers work together to come up with ideas to manage cutting program in half and/or thirds
- Inform them of plans to reach out to partnering agencies to see how/if participants of the program could continue with their training in some form or fashion somewhere else, if needed
- End meeting with reiterating that potential cuts are not due to staff/program related issues but city budget cuts
- Ask them to meet again in a week to discuss possible proposals they have, adding CEO and senior director are also coming up with options and to talk further about next steps, as well as consulting with HR for policy clarification needs
- Address questions or concerns
Meet with staff, CEO, and managers in staff’s workspace later in the day
Talking points -
- Start with acknowledging and thanking for continued success in the program
- Tell about potential cuts from the city and potential cuts being due to COVID
- Talk about managers and upper management working together to come up with ways to cut costs, reassign staff to avoid reductions as able and plans for this discussion meeting to reoccur weekly to hammer out potential details until cuts to the program are known
- Reiterate that potential cuts are not about work performance or lack of dedication/commitment but about the COVID related aftermath
- Give hope in terms of program receiving minimal cuts or hope that program could soon be fully back up and running
- Talk about resources that will be available to all staff, if the need arises, regarding reassignment possibilities, assistance with resumes, and the organization’s outreach to others regarding potential placements for staff outside the agency
- Let them know that they will be informed of developments/updates as they are known
- Inform them of talking with participants later in the day and the agency’s dedication to the program and finding placements or other partnering agencies that might be able to take over the training
- Address questions or concerns
Participant meeting before shift ends with all staff, managers, senior director, and CEO
Talking points -
- Start with thanking them for being a part of the program and allowing us to serve them
- Tell about potential cuts from the city and potential cuts being due to COVID
- Reiterate that potential cuts are not about work performance or lack of dedication/commitment but from staff or participants but about the COVID related aftermath
- Talk about the agency working towards finding ways to manage potential cuts with staff reassignments and programming potentially being reassigned to other agencies
- Make clear resources would be available to them if needed and someone would be assigned to assist in any transitions needed and that coaches/managers will be keeping them informed
- Address questions or concerns
Core messages for staff
- Core message for managers and staff is that there will likely be cuts of some sort but that there is active planning to minimize via possible restructure, reassignment, and provided resources
- Secondary message for managers and staff is that cuts are not due to work performance and agency is dedicated to keeping them informed
Core messages for participants
- Core message for participants is that there will be likely cuts to staff and program due to COVID
- Secondary message for participants relates to agency putting transitions in place for them and staff will be keeping them informed as info is known
Communication frequency and vehicle
- With managers, communication would be weekly via sit down meetings with active planning
- With staff, communication would be as new information is known, informal, one-on-one
- With participants, communication would be as more info is known, informal, group setting
Fully scripted version available upon request
Background info – Easter Seals has a contract with the city of Fort Worth to provide paid job training. The contract is worth $3M annually and the green areas of the city are mowed and maintained while providing the paid job training. There are three managers in the program, 9 coaches, and usually about 90 participants working in the program at any given time. Easter Seals was informed of potential cuts but finalized info will not be known for a month.
Scene – Easter Seals offices
Senior Director meets with the three managers in the program at office
Talking points –
- Start with acknowledging and thanking for continued success in the program
- Tell about potential cuts, info handed down from the CEO just this morning
- Make clear cuts are due to COVID’s impact on economy, not job or program performance
- Convey unknowns about cuts, maybe major or minor and unknown time frame
- Talk of hoping to absorb staff in other areas of the organization, that you will be reaching out to other directors in the organization (absorption of staff, minimizing reductions)
- Propose that the three managers work together to come up with ideas to manage cutting program in half and/or thirds
- Inform them of plans to reach out to partnering agencies to see how/if participants of the program could continue with their training in some form or fashion somewhere else, if needed
- End meeting with reiterating that potential cuts are not due to staff/program related issues but city budget cuts
- Ask them to meet again in a week to discuss possible proposals they have, adding CEO and senior director are also coming up with options and to talk further about next steps, as well as consulting with HR for policy clarification needs
- Address questions or concerns
Meet with staff, CEO, and managers in staff’s workspace later in the day
Talking points -
- Start with acknowledging and thanking for continued success in the program
- Tell about potential cuts from the city and potential cuts being due to COVID
- Talk about managers and upper management working together to come up with ways to cut costs, reassign staff to avoid reductions as able and plans for this discussion meeting to reoccur weekly to hammer out potential details until cuts to the program are known
- Reiterate that potential cuts are not about work performance or lack of dedication/commitment but about the COVID related aftermath
- Give hope in terms of program receiving minimal cuts or hope that program could soon be fully back up and running
- Talk about resources that will be available to all staff, if the need arises, regarding reassignment possibilities, assistance with resumes, and the organization’s outreach to others regarding potential placements for staff outside the agency
- Let them know that they will be informed of developments/updates as they are known
- Inform them of talking with participants later in the day and the agency’s dedication to the program and finding placements or other partnering agencies that might be able to take over the training
- Address questions or concerns
Participant meeting before shift ends with all staff, managers, senior director, and CEO
Talking points -
- Start with thanking them for being a part of the program and allowing us to serve them
- Tell about potential cuts from the city and potential cuts being due to COVID
- Reiterate that potential cuts are not about work performance or lack of dedication/commitment but from staff or participants but about the COVID related aftermath
- Talk about the agency working towards finding ways to manage potential cuts with staff reassignments and programming potentially being reassigned to other agencies
- Make clear resources would be available to them if needed and someone would be assigned to assist in any transitions needed and that coaches/managers will be keeping them informed
- Address questions or concerns
Core messages for staff
- Core message for managers and staff is that there will likely be cuts of some sort but that there is active planning to minimize via possible restructure, reassignment, and provided resources
- Secondary message for managers and staff is that cuts are not due to work performance and agency is dedicated to keeping them informed
Core messages for participants
- Core message for participants is that there will be likely cuts to staff and program due to COVID
- Secondary message for participants relates to agency putting transitions in place for them and staff will be keeping them informed as info is known
Communication frequency and vehicle
- With managers, communication would be weekly via sit down meetings with active planning
- With staff, communication would be as new information is known, informal, one-on-one
- With participants, communication would be as more info is known, informal, group setting
Fully scripted version available upon request