More than 1 in 7 HR professionals said their organization had conducted a reduction in force (RIF) over the last 30 days, according to the SHRM March 2025 Current Events Pulse survey. Among those HR professionals who conducted layoffs, the most likely reason was a workforce reorganization (50%), followed by changes in business strategy (37%) and poor business performance (36%).
Layoffs aren’t easy, “but when they are completed respectfully with defensible strategies, they are easier,” said Joyce Chastain, an employment law compliance consultant at The Krizner Group in Tallahassee, Fla.
With the possibility of more layoffs looming, here are tips for HR professionals on preparing for, conducting, and responding to employees’ concerns about RIFs.
Before laying off employees, HR should ensure alternatives have been considered, said David Epstein, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources and talent strategy at Mobilization for Justice in New York City. “A RIF is devastating to an organization and should only be done when it is economically necessary and business-related,” he said.
Alternatives to layoffs include reduced hours, pay cuts, furloughs, and voluntary exit incentive plans, noted Michael Schlemmer, an attorney with Morgan Lewis in Palo Alto, Calif., and Joseph Nuccio, an attorney with Morgan Lewis in Princeton, N.J.
If there is to be a layoff, HR can help shape the selection criteria or train leaders to design the selection process in a legitimate and...
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