Page 35 - BusinessWest August 18, 2025

Gleason >>Continued from page 7
in nature, and it’s easier to grow occupancy,” he
explained, adding that there are many properties now
coming onto the market, and the company will be dili-
gent and cautious as it seeks to grow the portfolio.
“I think I look at 10 or so deals a week,” he
explained. “Some advance five minutes, some
advance 20 or 30, and some four to six months
through a due-diligence process that ends up in an
actual acquisition. What sets us apart is trying to
remove emotion from the decision, as well as not
going after everything that’s available; 95% of what’s
out there is not going to work, and that’s OK.”
What’s in Store
Jenna Gleason remembers telling friends and col-
leagues at Baystate of her decision to leave her role
in marketing, shift to the family business, and focus
most of her energies on growing its self-storage
portfolio.
“Some of them were like, ‘what are you thinking
... you’re getting into self-storage?’” she recalled with
a laugh, adding quickly that this is serious business,
one that has grown steadily over the past half-century
or so and still has enormous growth potential.
But before getting into it, she had to learn it, as
she acknowledged earlier. And there was a lot to
learn.
“I listened to a lot of podcasts on storage and tried
to read as much as a I could on the business and the
industry — any article I could find — and we worked
together to figure out how we were going to leave a
footprint,” she recalled, adding that she got involved
Reduction >>Continued from page 21
so that any problematic data that is discovered would
be protected from disclosure in lawsuit by the attor-
ney-client privilege.
Finally, employers need to be aware of wage pay-
ment obligations for those who are laid off. Under
the Massachusetts Wage Act, employees who are laid
off as part of a RIF must be paid all earned wages
— including pay for all accrued and unused vacation
— on their last day of employment. Also, if a worker
is subject to the terms of an employment contract (as
opposed to be employed at-will), that employee might
be entitled payout if the employment relationship
ends prior to the expiration of the term set out in the
employment contract.
Practical Considerations
Employees who are let go as part of a RIF are like-
ly going to expect severance pay to help pay the bills
while they look for new employment. That said, there
is nothing that requires employers to offer separation
agreements to at-will employees being laid off (note
that this might be different if the employee is subject
to the terms of an employment contract).
However, most employment lawyers and HR pro-
fessionals will tell you that offering at least some sev-
erance, while not legally required, is a best practice.
This is because, as noted above, it provides depart-
ing employees with some level of financial stability
while they are in between jobs. Severance packages
also often include payments for continued health
insurance or other benefits, easing the transition and
potentially reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses
for departing employees.
Finally, obtaining signed severance agreements
Business W est “My first thought is always that we’re
helping our customers, which are,
ultimately, also our neighbors.”
as Tony was fully engaged with selling the landscap-
ing business. If she had a problem, she said, he would
usually reply, ‘figure it out.’ And she did, learning
while doing.
From the beginning, the goal has been to stand out
in a field that was crowded with players of all sizes
and has become more crowded since, she went on,
adding that she believes the company differentiates
itself through a personal approach defined by building
relationships with customers.
“My first thought is always that we’re helping our
customers, which are, ultimately, also our neighbors,”
she explained. “When someone’s in need of storage,
typically it’s a stressful time in their life; they’ve lost
a loved one, it might be a change in a professional
career, a change in a relationship or home life —
there’s usually a quick, dire need for storage. So we
want to be there for them and make this less of a
hassle and more easy.”
As for the name, Gigi is a family nickname for
Jenna, and GiGi’s Self Storage gives the venture a
less corporate feel, they said, adding that, as with the
real estate division, the goal with this side of the busi-
ness is controlled growth.
“Disparate impact testing helps
organizations recognize and address
biases that might exist within their
decision making process, even when
there’s no intent to discriminate.”
from departing employees mitigates legal risk, as
the agreement should include a legally compliant
release of claims against the employer. Stated other-
wise, employees accept the severance payments, and
in exchange, they agree not to bring a legal action
against the company. We see this as a win-win for the
employee and the employer.
Finally, as far in advance as possible, businesses
need to start developing a clear and transparent com-
munication strategy that will be used to explain the
RIF to the workforce. This strategy should involve two
messages — one for the entire workforce that explains
the business needs for the RIF, and another message
that is tailored to those who are affected by the RIF.
For those who will be losing their jobs, conduct
private meetings to deliver the news and discuss
next steps. This meeting should go over the terms of
the severance package, if one is being offered. While
the meeting should be brief, employees should be
given some time to discuss the positives and nega-
tives of their employment experience, as well as ask
questions related to post-employment issues such as
unemployment and health insurance continuation.
As for the remaining employees, the business
<< CONTINUED >>
There are plenty of existing facilities that come
onto the market, said Tony, adding that the company
is continuously looking for opportunities that make
sense, knowing that size brings obvious efficiencies
and economies of scale.
And there is room for new development as well,
they said, noting that, unlike with the banking and
cannabis sectors, most area communities are not yet
saturated or oversaturated with self-storage facilities.
Still, there are risks involved with such develop-
ments, and due diligence, in the form of understand-
ing a market and its needs, is necessary.
“When you’re building from the ground up, you
have to be very confident in the market — that you
can lease out the spaces,” Tony said. “You want to
make sure the demand is there. The worst possible
scenario would be to build or overbuild a facility and
look back three or four years later and not be able to
fill it.”
And for the first time in the history of the industry,
there are signs of oversaturation in some markets, he
went on, adding that smart growth will be the course
with GiGi’s, which is still a tiny player within the mar-
ket, but has plans to become one of the 100 largest
in the country, and can get there by growing four or
fivefold.
That’s the plan for the next five to 10 years, any-
way, and based on the success of Gleason’s landscap-
ing business, there is little doubt that these driven
entrepreneurs can get there. BW
should have a plan in place to discuss how the RIF
will affect their day-to-day duties. Is there a plan in
place to replace the departing workers if business cir-
cumstances improve? Will the RIF lead to longer days
and more demands for the remaining employees?
Does the company plan to lay off more employees
within the next few months?
These types of questions, as well as the psycho-
logical impact associated with many co-workers (and
friends) losing their jobs, is often referred to as work-
place survivor syndrome. Leaders in the organization
must be prepared to answer questions from remain-
ing employees about their ‘new normal,’ as well as lis-
ten and respond to their concerns and fears, in order
to avoid workplace survivor syndrome causing more
negative workplace ripples than the RIF itself.
Implementing a RIF is no small task. There are
serious legal and practical considerations that busi-
nesses need to consider as soon as potential layoffs
are a topic of conversation during leadership meet-
ings. Be sure to engage experienced employment
counsel early on in the process so businesses leaders
do not get caught in traps for the unwary during a
workforce reduction. BW
John Gannon is a partner with Springfield-based
law firm Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a law firm
exclusively practicing labor and employment law
for more than a half-century, focusing on litigation
avoidance, employment litigation, and labor law
and relations. He specializes in employment law
and regularly counsels employers on compliance
with state and federal laws; (413) 737-4753.
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