Terminating the employment of someone is a difficult conversation, regardless of how big the company is, how good a communicator you are, or what the reason for departure is. Some companies think that they found an easy way out of this problem: Why not send a quick, carefully crafted message to soon-to-be ex-employees? Or how about a mass conference call? A letter to their home address explaining what is happening and why? Examples of electronic separations abound. In 2014 in Chicago, Snarf's sandwich shop sent a message to 20 employees three days before Christmas, telling them that the store would be closed indefinitely for remodeling, ending the message with "Ownership appreciates your service and wishes you well in your new endeavors." In 2006, Radioshack made the news by eliminating the positions of 400 employees and letting them know by email. And as it often happens with electronic communication, sometimes mistakes are made, resulting in accidental dismissals.
Aviva Investors, one of the world's largest insurers, sent a generic termination message intended for one employee to all of the company's 1,300 employees.
Email is often criticized for being impersonal, but how about a conference call? Patch, a news service organization, assigned all its employees into one of two conference call "rooms." Then, all employees who dialed into one of the rooms (reaching hundreds in numbers) were told that their positions were being eliminated. Companies trying other such efficient methods included Hugo Boss, where news of the Cleveland plant closing was delivered via FedEx packages sent to employee homes right before Christmas.[65] Of course, letting employees go is always hard but being sensitive while doing so is an important part of business.
1. What is the rationale for conducting mass layoffs through electronic communication or other, impersonal methods? Do you see any advantages?
2. Do you feel that these impersonal methods are the "right way" to communicate this information?
3. What are some conditions that could justify firing someone via a text message or an email?
4. Does your decision differ for mass layoffs versus firing for cause? What is an appropriate method of communicating the news for different types of employee separations?