We had to fire an employee recently.  Somehow,
everyone thinks that we fired this employee for speaking
out about a staffing problem.  Truth is, the employee was fired for
completely different—and completely valid—reasons.  For legal reasons, we can’t broadcast why we fired the employee, but the rumor mill is hurting morale.  What can we do?

Response: 

Ah, perception and reality.  The closer they are to each other, the better.  The further apart they get, the worse things can get.  If your employees have the perception that you fired the employee for speaking out about a staffing problem, then it is the same as if you did fire the employee for speaking out.  In the absence of fact, perception is king.  Your question is a powerful one, because you want to know how you can fix the perception if you can’t share the facts. 

We put this question to our very own Director of Human Resources, Lisa Marrow.  “While it is never advisable to discuss the details of a terminated employee, you are able to tell your employees in this situation that their rumors are unfounded, stressing that you can’t and won’t discuss the specifics,” said Marrow. 

One problem may remain, though:  the rumor mill itself.  How can you fix that?

First, you need to do something that at first will seem to have no connection to your question:  Leadership and managers must increase rounding for all employees—and establish accountability for rounding expectations.  We recommended that you establish documentation requirements for rounding and set minimum levels of expectations for leaders throughout all levels of the organization.  Follow-through and consistent actions with respect to this initiative will validate and reinforce the leadership’s commitment to change and will improve the organization.  Before perception can truly be addressed, you’ve got to jump into the deep end of your employees’ reality.

Secondly, there may be a grain of truth to what the employees feel.  While the fired employee may have been let go for reasons other than speaking out, your employees may perceive that they are being treated harshly when participating in meetings or discussions.  It is HealthStream Research’s observation that in most organizations, the non-supervisory employees are the ones who can be most helpful in identifying what isn’t working well, why that is so, and what might be the most practical solution.  Reacting in a negative or punitive way to those who would find fault with a process or condition only prevents the flow of good ideas.

To build a positive environment for communication, HealthStream Research recommends the following:

• Provide training to leaders at all levels on how to receive feedback from employees in a positive way.  Help them develop the skill to turn what might appear to be a complaint into a means for improvement.
• Make soliciting employee input an integral part of all leader rounding with employees.  By asking, “Is there anything we can do better?” you offer the employee opportunity to become part of the solution. 
• Implement a “New Ideas” program.  This is not a suggestion box, but rather a program that encourages and rewards employees for coming forward with bright new approaches to correct problems that are costly and holding the organization back.  One of our client hospitals received ideas from 65% of their workforce, which resulted in the savings of literally millions of dollars through better processes and utilization of resources.