My wife works in a large company… and as you well know many of these companies have been forced to scale down on the amount of staff in their offices. While many people will focus on logos when they hear of a lay-off… have you ever given thought that there are people that are given the unenviable task of delivering the bad news to the employees at a given unit. So upon hearing that “the Reaper” had visited my wife
s office I could not help but shudder thinking what a crappy task that is. I have laid off people, yet it was through the course of normal business. People saw me everyday and having meetings with me was not an uncommon thing. But when a specific person that never interacts with you shows up and leads five people out of the office with a couple of security guards…. that gets you noticed – thus the moniker, that while not too creative, designates the way she will now be perceived from here on. Her arrival this week created tension, tears and of course thoughts of her last visit. This time she took care of one person… not without causing a great amount of emotional devastation to those remaining.
In a way, it is like being in a cage…awaiting to be the next chicken cast into a boiling pot. A bad feeling for an employee – yet have you given thought that perhaps the Reaper has her own feelings, did not go to college just to fire and lay people off. Human Resources is about so much more, so it is sad that in these days some HR staffers are viewed as messengers of doom and death.
Part of this is the cowardice of corporate executives to take this task upon themselves – i.e. sit down with employees and give them the news personally.
When I was laid off two years ago, my boss sat down with me in a one on one meeting. It was shocking, yet I got it, it was not easy for him – and it has never been easy for me to lay off people, but I would not delegate the “dirty deed” to HR just out of respect to those I have lead.
If you are a Reaper, remember the feelings of the people that have formed a bond with you. Respect their reactions and offer your support. None of this should violate mandates to avoid lawsuits, etc. It should affirm your place in this World as a Human, not a messenger of death.
