Workforce Adjustment Consulting

In a world where organization structures and staffing need to be as variable as the economies and markets within which a company operates, managing the "people" side of a restructuring has become an art and a science in itself.

Working closely with many of the top HR executives in the country, the staff at Mastel Associates have helped to plan and manage small and large-scale downsizing's that achieve two mutually dependent goals: getting promising new employees off on promising new career tracks and quickly focusing remaining staff on the business challenges at hand.

Building on our core strengths in career management, assessment and coaching, we can lend in-depth expertise and decades of experience to every component of a well-planned and well-executed restructuring, including:

Planning and Communications

> Helping to map out strategies, schedules and budgets, and plan for contingencies no matter what the restructuring scenario.

> Assisting with severance policies and package preparation, including design of career transition services for departing employees.

> Developing communication strategies that build understanding for, and confidence in, the tough decisions management has had to make, both amongst employees leaving and those staying.

> Assisting with clear, timely and consistent communications - from the preparation of initial announcements for employees, shareholders, the media and other key stakeholders, to notifying appropriate governments when required, through to ongoing internal and external updates.

Coaching for Managers

> Working with HR and other executives to identify coaching needs and candidates, as well as key messages, potential questions and answers, and problematic manager-employee relationships.

> Providing group or one-on-one coaching sessions to prepare managers to deliver difficult news professionally, consistently and sensitively.

> Designing and delivering role-playing sessions to assist managers in fielding the dozens of questions that inevitably come from employees who are leaving and staying.

Logistics and On-site Support

> Helping to determine when and where employees are informed, by whom and in what order.

> Scheduling management meetings with departing employees and initial support meetings with career transition consultants.

> Providing on-site back-up and support for HR staff.