Restructuring & Transitions
The person delivering the news is usually a line manager who has never laid anyone off, has had no training for it, and has been dreading it for a week. Manager notification training gets them ready in one session, before the day, with the actual words and a rehearsal.
Why it matters
Ask anyone who has been laid off and they can tell you the room, the day of the week, and roughly what was said. That memory belongs to your company, and it gets repeated at every dinner party and every future reference check for years. It is also the version an attorney hears first if things go wrong.
Untrained managers make the same four mistakes. They over-explain the business case, which invites an argument. They apologise until the person thinks the decision is negotiable. They say something warm and terrible like "I know exactly how you feel." And they promise something they cannot deliver, usually about a reference or a rehire.
What the session covers
The four hard moments
Lead with the decision, not the build-up. Most people stop hearing after it, which is exactly why it has to come first and be unambiguous.
It will feel unbearable to the manager and it is the most respectful thing in the room. We practise holding it, because instinct is to fill it with reasons.
It is not, and hedging is the single most damaging thing a manager can do. We give them a clear answer they can say without sounding cold.
There is a right amount to say and it is less than managers think. We cover what is safe, what is honest, and where to stop.
What to do, what not to say, and how to end the meeting with dignity rather than rushing to the door.
Decided in advance, not on the morning. Who steps in, and how the manager asks for that without losing face.
How it runs
About ninety minutes for a typical group, delivered virtually or on site. Everyone who will deliver a notification attends, plus whoever is supporting them. Managers leave with the script, a one-page runbook for the day, and the answers to the questions they are actually going to be asked.
It is $1,500 as a standalone session, and it is included in Altavise Standby alongside the severance review and a post-layoff team reset.
What they leave with
Questions
A working session that prepares the managers who have to tell someone their job is gone. We give them the words, rehearse the conversation, and walk through what to do when it does not go to plan. It runs before the notification day, not after.
Every person who will deliver a notification, plus whoever is supporting them on the day. Usually supervisors and line managers rather than senior leadership, because they are the ones actually in the room and the ones least likely to have done it before.
One session. Most groups need about ninety minutes, longer if there are many managers or the reduction is complex.
$1,500 as a standalone session, and it is included in Altavise Standby along with the severance review and a post-layoff team reset.
Yes. It runs well virtually, and for larger reductions we can be on site the day before.
It happens more than people admit, and we plan for it. Part of the session is deciding in advance who steps in, and giving managers permission to say they need someone with them.
No. We prepare people for the conversation. Anything touching notice periods, protected classes or release language goes to your employment counsel, and we will tell you when you have crossed that line.
Related services
Planning and running the whole event. Manager training is one piece of it.
Layoff & RIF Support →Support for the people leaving, delivered to the whole group on the day.
Group Transition Workshop →This training is included, along with the severance review and a team reset.
Altavise Standby →Before the day, not after.
Tell us how many people are delivering notifications and when, and we will scope a session and a fixed fee.
Prepare our managers