One of the worst things I’ve ever had to do as an HR professional is organize a reduction in the workforce. It’s a terrible feeling. Employees have worked hard and don’t deserve to have their positions eliminated.
It’s tough to organize a layoff. No doubt about it. But, it’s a gut-wrenching moment to do it over the holidays.
I’ll never forget that conversation years ago. Sitting in my office and the phone rings. It’s my boss. He’s at the corporate offices explaining our latest financial numbers. He did that a lot. He tells me that we’re going to have to do a downsizing. I wasn’t surprised, our numbers hadn’t been good. I tell him OK and I’ll start working on it.
Then he tells me the rest.
We’re doing it the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
I’m like “What?! Are you crazy?!” (It’s a wonder I didn’t get fired for the remark.) He says “We have no choice.”
Fast forward to earlier this week when Yahoo announced it was laying off 600-700 employees. In December. Right before the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
When this situation happened to me, I was mad. The company knew they weren’t doing great. It’s was ridiculous to think they weren’t forecasting and planning ahead. They didn’t just wake up Tuesday morning and discover they had no money or future sales. Now, I guess it is possible they were banking on a huge project 
coming in or some kind of financing that never materialized.
Look, it’s bad enough that employees are losing their jobs. But really, to lose them over the holidays because a company can’t forecast, budget and plan is just inexcusable.
Looking back, maybe that’s why our location was struggling. Because we didn’t know how to budget, forecast or plan. If we had, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up in the same circumstances.
Okay, sure, I know that Monday Morning Quarterback is the easiest job in the world so it’s easy for me to be critical. And there may be a world of circumstances that go into Yahoo’s decision to get rid of 700 employees right before the holidays. Who knows, maybe this wasn’t just the easiest solution – it was the only solution. All I know is, the situation sucked back then and it sure sucks now.
Image courtesy of NASA Images
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Jennifer Ciccone says
Sharlyn, thanks for the thought provoking perspective. Another perspective I heard from someone else (when they decided to do a layoff in early December) was: instead of ruining the holidays for the entire facility, we ruined the holidays of the small number affected by the layoff. His argument was that in an environment where everyone could see that work was slow, the entire workforce was waiting and wondering who would be affected by the RIF they were sure was coming. He took the position that it was more responsible to decide the matter, and let everyone move on, rather than holding the whole organization’s breath through the month of December.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment Jennifer. I can see where that perspective makes sense. But then I ask myself the question, “If the company knew it needed to downsize in early December, shouldn’t they have had a pretty good idea in November and done it before Thanksgiving?” Or even earlier. It’s definitely a double-edged sword.
Hopefully, companies that are faced with these kind of tough decisions are talking the perceptions we’re talking about in mind as part of their decision making.
Jim aka Evil Skippy at Work says
That is horrible timing — you have my belated sympathy. When I was in my first year as an attorney and before I worked solely on employment law issues, I had to go to court on the morning of December 24th (the court closed at noon for Christmas Eve) to get an order to foreclose on a person’s home. (This was in 1985, before foreclosures were quite so prominent). The judge granted the order (it was an open-and-shut matter), but also said, “I hope you can live with yourself doing this today of all days.” I’d already felt pretty bad — but quitting my job in protest rather than go to court had seemed like a bad idea. Still, I chalk that one up to a “worst” thing that my boss did since he made the decision. My worst thing was a near act of arson and an actual dousing of a well-dressed crowd with greasy water. I wrote about it yesterday in “Should an Employee Be Fired For Making a Mistake?” at http://www.evilskippyatwork.com/?p=449.
Alan Collins says
Sharlyn – thanks so much for sharing your experience on “holiday layoffs.” You’re right. There is absolutely nothing more difficult in HR than laying people off at the end of the year. Doing it between Xmas and New Year’s is just brutal, inhumane and totally, totally unnecessary with proper planning and foresight. Companies who operate this way cannot expect full engagement, commitment and “discretionary effort” from their workforces…and are doomed in the long-term! I commend you for your “restraint” with your boss and your courage in sharing this experience with us.
Best,
Alan Collins
http://successinhr.com
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Jim – First, let me say that I love the name of your blog – Evil Skippy at Work.
I can totally empathize with your story. You mentioned something that we should all focus on – it might seem like a good idea to quit in protest but maybe the best approach is to do the unpleasant task because it will be handled with even more sensitivity and understanding. Thanks for sharing!
@Alan – Thanks for the comment. I believe employees have the expectation there will be no layoffs from mid-November until the New Year. Now if someone does something stupid, they might get fired … but no layoffs.
Sabrina says
Sharlyn,
I have had to do massive layoffs the week of Christmas – it was the most terrible feeling I have ever had. I completely agree with the fact that these things don’t typically just pop up. In our situation we knew months in advance and just keep hoping things would change instead of dealing with the real issue. I don’t want to ever do that again.
Great post!
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for sharing your story Sabrina!
Tim Vanderpyl says
I agree that Christmas is probably the worst time of year, but there really isn’t ever a good time. It’s also unfair to employees to know what is going to happen and to sit on it for an extended period of time. It prolongs the agony and people can sense changes are forthcoming when their managers know something but aren’t sharing. Is waiting really that much better?
Your post is a great reminder of the ‘ugly’ side of HR, that few Mgt/LR/HR students fully understand when they want to build a career in HR. It can be a ruthless profession, and because HR is a support department, we are ruled by the whims of the managers who rely on us to carry out their strategies.
Thanks for the post and reminder!
– Tim Vanderpyl
http://www.timvanderpyl.com
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment Tim. You’re right, there’s never a good time for layoffs.
I’ve been in that “waiting for it” situation before and it’s not fun. In my case, it took over 2 years for the company to make a decision. I learned that I have to live my life because I don’t have any control over the rest.
Young HR Manager says
Before coming to employees to tell them they don’t have a job anymore, wouldn’t it be an idea to sort of prepare the ground for it. I mean, you just can’t come one day by surprise and tell them. I guess it’s a matter of tact. Let them know something in advance before the real moment comes. You know, when you chew things for a while, you are more mentally prepared.
AS says
Eh…that’s why you’re paid the big bucks. Seriously though, it’s tough. I have been laid off 3x in my adult life. 2 seniority based and 1 a mass closure. So, I will stay on the bottom of the totem pole for along time. If it helps you, I can tell you (as an OpsMgr), I never took it personally. Sure, it sucked. But, I have always understood it was what the company had to do to keep itself alive.
AS
http://starkravingmanager.com
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Young HR Manager – Thanks for the comment. I wrote a post months ago about gossip and this is one of those times when the informal channels of communication can help.
http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/training/office-gossip-and-rumors/
@AS – Nice blog! Thanks for adding to the conversation.