Communicating layoffs: Horror stories from the front lines

MyRagan members share their “surplus-employee management” nightmares

Getting “laid off” is so 2008.

Nowadays, when a manager and an employee part ways, euphemisms are thrown around to ease the pain (yeah, right): down-sizing, right-sizing, recalibrating, de-verticalization, re-verticalization, re-structuring.

Still, the term “unemployment office” hasn’t changed—nor has the sting of losing your job, your work family, your benefits, and maybe a bit of your pride. Some companies do all they can to ease the process.

Others, well, just plain stink.

With that in mind, MyRagan members shared their “surplus-employee management” nightmares:

“My worst experience was receiving a phone call from a staffer on Friday, saying, ‘We won’t need you anymore; be out of the building with all your stuff by close of business today.’ Probably feeling guilty, he called back five minutes later to say, ‘You can have more time, the whole weekend to move, just don’t be at your desk on Monday.'”

“When you go to pick up the paychecks to distribute to your department and there’s not one for you in the stack…”