Manufacturing Success, Episode #8, Part 3: Rightsizing the Manufacturing Workforce, the Right Way

Much has been written about an historically low unemployment rate, and the related challenges that manufacturing employers face in trying to fill a significant backlog of job openings. Despite this glut of available jobs, the need to implement reductions in force (RIFs) does present itself more often than might be expected, for a wide range of business reasons that are disconnected from unemployment figures. And like other aspects of employment law, there are associated rules and best practices that can go a long way to reducing, or even eliminating, the risk of legal missteps on the part of management. Manufacturing employers should take care to become familiar with these rules and best practices, to minimize the threat of business disruption that often accompanies RIFs.

In this three-part episode of Manufacturing Success, host Mike Carrouth is joined by Fisher Phillips attorneys J. Hagood Tighe, David Kresser, and Terri Stewart for discussions around the three core elements of a successful RIF; layoff planning, notice requirements, and severance agreements. For more information about RIFs, please refer to:

• An Employer’s 7-Step RIF and Layoff Blueprint for 2023
• RIF/WARN Toolkit