Question

What conditions or circumstances in your own department should you consider before deciding to reduce staff

Answer 1

Things to consider before reducing staff

• Can the excess work be managed by the remaining staff?
• Will there be significant reduction in operations expenses?
• How many employees are idle/on bench/not providing any value currently?
• Is there no requirement for additional staff in forseeable future?
• Can some processes be automated at a much lesses expense?
• Can the current employees be trained to provide much more value?
• Can new employees be hired to do the same job for much lesser salaries?

Considering alternatives to reducing staff

• Are the employees willing to work for a reduced pay instead of getting retrenched?
• Can employee benefits be reduced after discussing with the employees?
• Are they willing to work for fewer hours or shorter shifts?
• Getting to know if some of the employees are ready to forego their jobs voluntarily?
• Is there a possibility to shift some of the employees to other departments?
• Can overtime be eliminated?