This article originally appeared in the September 2022 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee, when confronted with the grim fact that his top general – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson – was shot and gravely wounded, famously said: “He has lost his left arm…but I have lost my right arm.”
While it surely cannot compare with the gravity of war and the loss of a life, in today’s business climate, many people have found themselves facing the prospect of continuing a work life without the help of a close colleague who has moved on to what we hope are bigger and better things.
In August, I joined those ranks, as my closest work colleague – someone whom I have worked with for more than a decade – found greener pastures in a different role, at a different company.
Talk about mixed feelings! For sure, I’m very happy for him in his new role, and I wish him nothing but the best as he explores a new work adventure; however, he would have been the one to proofread this column, so what am I supposed to do about that?
Through COVID layoffs and the explosion in job opportunities (particularly in the security industry), it seems as though many of us have lost valued colleagues – and more important, friends – in our work environments. How do we cope?
Interestingly, even after a mass layoff or, in this case a personal decision to move on by a close co-worker, the companies that have the strongest corporate culture tend to lift the remaining employees.
Like it or not, the departure of one means more work for those who remain. Technicians have to add job stops and projects; office staff might have to put in overtime; executives have to stop and fill a gap in employment…the list goes on.
Organizations that have a strong corporate culture will have employees who are more than able, and usually willing, to temporarily fill this gap. HR and business experts agree the best approach is to meet the challenge as a team. Come together in your company’s department (or even the company as a whole) to outline and prioritize with managers and executives exactly the jobs that must continue in order to meet the demands of your customers. If something can be put on the proverbial “back burner,” put it there!
Take it from me: Having a manager who simply understands the avalanche of extra work created by someone’s departure and sympathizes with the remaining employees’ plight goes a long way to being able to navigate it. As a manager, ease back on hard deadlines if possible, as you (hopefully) launch a search to fill the vacated role.
This also is a good time to re-evaluate the requirements and responsibilities of the role itself. Does it have to be senior level, for example? Should the job title be different? Was too much piled on this person’s plate to begin with, and the job requires two people to accomplish everything? Take all of this into account before you launch a search to find a replacement.
Finally, it might make sense to give the remaining employee(s) a role in creating a job listing for the open position. Nobody knows better what the role entails than you and your staff, particularly the ones doing the extra work.
It sounds like a cliché, but there’s definitely an adjustment period when you lose your closest work buddy. But in the end, losing your right arm doesn’t mean you have nothing left.
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine. Email him your comments and questions at [email protected]. Access the current issue, full archives and apply for a free subscription at www.securitybusinessmag.com.
