How To Shed Deadweight

I was recently given the rather unenviable task of dismissing an employee from my team and the company in general.

Professional termination is a sensitive topic for me as I have been on the receiving end of such news earlier in my career. While the factors surrounding my release from employment were not relating to my operational and/or behavioral performance as this round of layoffs were based on, the memories of how I felt at the time are all too fresh in my mind. I recall feeling like a ship forcefully carried out to sea without sails, a rudder, or an anchor, floating along with no port in sight. Such a feeling can take its toll on the mind and one’s sense of worth. Without support, it can cripple one’s self-esteem.

During the week of the dreaded event, all employees in the cadres of managers and above received a briefing from the human capital team on how to approach the disengagements. This briefing contained details of what to say, what not to say, when to do it, what to expect, and so on. As I read the briefing pack, I felt it was a bit impersonal and dispassionate.

While this was a decision the organization felt necessary, and I mostly agreed with this thinking, the methodology of its delivery was something that did not sit too well with me.

For starters, it came across as a little too inhumane to spend five or less minutes dismissing an employee who had committed years of service to the company. Another concern was that we, as the line managers, were expected to limit the discussion to just information that they were to be released from the company’s employ with immediate effect. The most disconcerting part of the briefing was that we were not to answer any questions they may have, and to direct the soon-to-be-ex-employees to the human capital desk should they have any enquiries.

The dreaded day came, and I invited the gentleman into my office for the conversation. I informed him of the company’s decision and observed his reactions rather closely. A bit of background; this employee had a storied and documented history of behavioral issues, was mostly disagreeable, insouciant, ill-mannered, and did not collaborate well with others. As such, the organization’s decision to release him did not raise many eyebrows.

After I delivered the news, he went silent for a few moments and smiled. He then informed me that this was not unexpected as he had an inkling that this was going to happen, eventually. He thanked me for the information and asked questions about what was next. I replied by telling him that he was to submit all company tools and effects in his possession by the day’s end and seek answers to any questions he may have from the human capital desk.

I then asked him what he intended to do now that he had a bit of free time? To which he replied he would take some time off and finish a book project he was working on, tour the West African coast, and just take a break before deciding on whether he wants to pursue his artistic interests or return to paid employment.

I thought about how it made me feel to be the terminator of someone’s career with a company and I realized that it was a feeling I would not be too keen to have again. Nonetheless, it is an experience worth having.

Hopefully, I can bring a bit more humanity to the process should I ever have to do it again.

#MEMBA12