What to Do When You Must Inform Talent They Aren’t Getting the Promotion?
What to do when you must communicate to internal talent they aren’t getting the promotion?
Communicating Bad News with Transparency and Empathy Builds the Talent Reservoir.
Employers build their talent brand and talent retention by creating a culture that supports internal promotions. And yet, not everyone can be promoted; and, as a result, the good-deed talent strategy may appear as lip-service and not always held in esteem. Often the communication process breaks down when informing the internal candidates that they are not the viable candidate.
Informing internal candidates they were not selected can be a daunting task. Whether it is a large publicly owned employer or a small, privately owned employer, the task isn’t easy and is one that can contribute to bigger employee relation matters if not handled properly. The process should include transparency and empathy.
Below are a few key points that should be considered when the situation arises within your
organization:
- Define roles and responsibilities for the meeting – Sets the stage for transparency and career planning
Gone are the days that the approach is for HR to deliver the unfortunate news to the internal candidate; HR as the notifier isn’t always the best-case scenario.
The hiring manager plays a key role and is equipped to discuss the reasons why the candidate is not being selected. Thus, the hiring manager should drive the meeting. The present supervisor should be included in the meeting as well. The hiring manager and the individual’s existing manager should meet prior to ensure the present manager can offer support and guide the future development of the individual.
Although HR isn’t the messenger, never discount HR as being part of the meeting. HR can offer the right-advice with regard to future development strategies and can serve as the administrative role to ensure the development occurs, but the internal candidate is driven by the hiring manager and their immediate supervisor. At the least, HR should be included in the career planning discussion for the individual, to offer suggestions and record any next-step actions.
Clarifying the roles and responsibilities contributes toward a transparent approach minimizing any confusion when meeting with the employee and offers a constructive first-stage in the career planning process.
- Prepare and organize the meeting – Ensure the meeting focuses on the individual’s future
Before meeting with the internal candidate, prepare talking points that focus on not only the internal candidate’s strengths but the specific actions that can be taken to build upon their skill sets. Be transparent and specific; that is, focus on the key technical points the position demands/requires that contributed to the decision.
Create a meeting that focuses on career development and offers resources. Resources may include assigning the individual to a Subject Matter Expert(s) (SME) in the organization to expand their knowledge. That may include job shadowing or cross-training in another position or department.
Resources may also include external training by directing the individual to internal Tuition Reimbursement and/or Continuous Education policies that will develop the technical areas and/or interpersonal strategies. Sometimes decisions are based on demonstrated soft skills as much as technical hard skills. Be clear on what truly kept them from advancing.
Consider assigning a special project or place the individual on a task team or a special project committee and inform the employee of these assignment(s) at the meeting. By taking these actions, the individual will build confidence, remain focused on their contributions to the organization, and may be more likely to accept the decision.
Always remember to include HR as a key resource to guide the process along and offer suggestions and ideas to the effort.
Most importantly, allow the internal candidate to consider thoughts, ideas, and suggestions regarding the process as well as what actions they are willing to “own” to prepare for the next opportunity; and, schedule the follow up communication.
- Follow up communication – Builds on empathy and sustains the reservoir of future talent
Empathize! Anyone feels disappointment when an opportunity presents itself and is pursued but it just doesn’t work out. Of course, the individual will feel disappointed and there will be a myriad of emotions from the internal candidate that can lead to a political nightmare. Set the stage to control outcomes by being proactive.
Feedback must continue! Ensure the individual is scheduled for a follow up meeting. It is best to do this within the first month as a check-in to address any additional questions they have and/or as an optimism check. The meeting may include the hiring manager, present manager, and/or HR depending on the organization’s culture, which determines the involvement; however, the key here is ensuring the meeting happens.
Also, set-up a schedule to review any career development strategy that was defined with the employee. Address obstacles and give feedback on their progress. Individual Development Plans (IDP) are a crucial part of career pathing talent on a journey toward growing within your organization.
The practices mentioned above spell-out the importance of establishing a communication process that is transparent and empathizes with the individual employee, to build on the individual’s future as well as the future talent of the organization. A little direct, proactive communication can go a long way when it is expressed honestly and with care. Without it, employee relations matters can fester, sometimes for years, only to impact peer relations and collaboration.
