Doug Cartland's Four-Minute Leadership Advisory
Doug Cartland, Inc.
05/14/2013

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So it's come to this...

 

I know a supervisor who fired someone the other day. Here's what she was allowed to say, nothing more, nothing less:

 

"Based on your performance to date, we have decided your employment with___________ needs to be terminated today."

 

That was all this supervisor was allowed to say. Not one word out of place. Nothing else...fear of litigation precluded it.

 

She read from the script in her mind...of this, she had no choice. She was to diverge not a whit.

 

If the employee protested, then the supervisor was allowed to say this:

 

            "The leadership team has made its decision."

 

And, once again, nothing more.

 

There could be no display of compassion; no commiserating and God forbid the supervisor would show any sorrow.

 

There was to be zero empathy, no explanation beyond what was scripted.

 

She couldn't say, "I'm sorry it didn't work out," or "We wish there was another option," or "We don't do this flippantly." Nothing else!

 

She couldn't discuss his strengths and weaknesses; couldn't coach him up on a position that might be more suited to him.

 

As a matter of fact, she had to get special permission just to wish him well!

 

The HR Manager sat in, of course. When there came the inevitable awkward silence, she commented on the color of the window shades.

 

Wow.

 

The supervisor felt ill. And, as justified as the firing was, she refused to talk about the color of shades while seeing a man before her stunned and devastated, feeling like his professional life had been hurled off a precipice.

 

Oh, I understand why the higher-ups scripted it that way...fear of repercussions, concern for litigation, giving the employee no foothold for recompense. We do have to be cautious about crossing lines that would expose the company. I get it.

 

But Good God!

 

Have we now litigated away human compassion? Have we put ourselves in such a straightjacket that we can't feel any longer?

 

Do we wonder why human beings walk away from jobs embittered feeling like a cog in a wheel, a number whose number came up?

 

Bitterness is the fuel of revenge. If I'm treated with compassion on the way out the door I'm bound to be less bitter and thus less likely to seek that revenge.

 

This company fears backlash, but aren't they cultivating that very backlash by flipping a cold shoulder to a saddened man?

 

If we're going to remove all humanity from our dealings, then let's program computers to fire people.

 

Really. Why take a chance at all that a human being under pressure will become...a human being?


I'd love to hear from you. Reply to this email and let me know your thoughts. 

 

Doug

 

Doug Cartland, President
Doug Cartland, Inc.

 

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