Case 4.2: Communicating During a Downsizing

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to develop an action plan for communicating a difficult message in an ethical manner.

Situation:

1. You are the communication advisor to the head administrator of a major hospital in your local area. She asked you to develop a procedure for informing employees and the community about an impending layoff of 200 employees on January 15.
2. The administrator wants you to devise a plan that minimizes the amount of tension, friction and "down-time" in the workplace. Moreover, she wants you to include provisions for coping with difficulties after the announcement of the layoff has been made.
3. The hospital employs about 1,500 workers and the layoff was the last-resort measure to return the organization to profitability. The people who will be laid off will be from a cross-section of the hospital and include both staff and management.
4. The administrator has provided you a budget of $100,000 for any related expenses that may be incurred in meeting these communication objectives.

Objectives:

1. Describe your precise plan, both on a strategic and tactical level.
2. Justify the strategic and tactical decisions you are proposing.
3. Discuss how you will present your plan to the head administrator.