Your outplacement strategy is playing out on social media.

Hiring and firing is tied to social media

Are you aware that your outplacement strategy and how you treat your exiting employees are being played out for all the world to see–or should I say read?

I’m not only talking about the Fortune 500 companies. If you have even one employee, there’s a good chance your business is getting buzz on social media. Between blogs and 140 character tweets, former employees are announcing to the world how you treated–or mistreated–them during a reduction.

I’m always trying to find sites you may not have on your radar. Check out TheLayoff.com. It’s been around since 2009. Their tagline is “News, personal experiences, rumors and speculations about layoffs at your company”.  Like the rest of the internet, they welcome the anonymous post. Here is the link to the latest posts – TheLayoff.com.

So what can you do? In some cases, nothing.  Others would say, hire an expensive brand marketing company.

My suggestion is simple. First, get to know these sites. Go beyond Twitter and Facebook. Ask your recruiters to ask potential candidates what sites they used to learn about your corporate culture. Then research them to understand what current and former employees are saying. If possible, set up an alert to be notified when your company is mentioned.

Second, come up with a plan to combat the negativity. What can you do at the grassroots level? Communication usually tops the list. Being transparent and understanding of your former employees will not only soothe them, but establish your business as one that cares.

Your outplacement strategy will play a big part in your hiring strategy when it comes to social media. So remember, how you treat your exiting employees not only impacts them, the remaining employees but also your reputation for potential hires for years to come.