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No matter the category or executive team, brands and gaffes go together, especially when dealing with employee layoffs. But how these companies respond publicly can be better or worse than the initial act—assuming they even know how to properly structure an apology.
Last week, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg laid off several hundred employees over Zoom, causing significant embarrassment to the online mortgage lending company. It caused social media platforms and news reports to be filled with verbal venom about how the layoffs were shared. One would think there would be no precedent for such an act (especially ahead of the holidays); alas, in 2020, WW International, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers, laid off employees over several Zoom calls instead of only one call, and it seems that no record of any apology was made to those either laid off or still with the company.
Thankfully, Mr. Garg issued an apology for the company’s mishandling of the news. One line in his apology stuck out: “I realize that the way I communicated this news made a difficult situation worse. I am deeply sorry and am committed to learning from the situation and doing more to be the leader that you expect me to be.”
How do we know what Mr. Garg’s education will be to learn from the situation? What sort of leader do people who work at his company expect him to be? Contrary to what Elton John sings in his 1976 hit song, “sorry” doesn’t have to be the hardest word… provided that brands know how to make an apology stick.
First, know there’s a difference between being sorry and apologizing
Choosing to apologize is a strategy, giving an apology is a tactic. This is where most companies fail. Thinking about what Better’s leadership could have done differently is only part of the equation here; leadership also needs to think about the change that can be created for the future.
What’s more, there is a huge difference between “I’m sorry for…” and “I apologize for…” The verb in the first sentence? Am. You exist. Sorry is the adjective that validates the process of existing.
In other words, the apology holds no water. In the second sentence, the verb is “apologize.” It’s an action. People want action to right the wrong; they don’t want to hear about the process.
Then fully acknowledge the wrongs
A full-blown apology has to include responsibility, sympathy and accountability. When making an apology, brands and their executives should acknowledge what they did wrong and take responsibility for their actions. It also means acknowledging the impact the actions had on other people and showing genuine remorse for the pain and damage that has been caused.
Finally…prove it
A strong apology must show some sort of measurement to prove that you’re holding yourself accountable for your actions. Most organizations, especially this one, forget this all-important lesson.
Proving how one is going to repair the damage that was done or state future intentions proves the strategy is not an empty promise. This is how we hold ourselves accountable, as well as provide proof to stakeholders that you are truly putting your money where your mouth is.
Above all else, an apology is not the end of a situation. For smart organizations, it is the beginning of enacting the right kind of change for everyone to see.
