How did thousands of Twitter workers know they were being laid off?Some have been notified by email. Others found that they couldn’t connect to the company’s systems.
Several moral questions deserve to be explored. Was it fair for CEO Elon Musk to fire workers this way? Was it fair for those workers to be fired in the first place? Each one is physically powerful enough to deserve their own article. We’ll talk about the first one here.
The most productive leaders—those who lead according to the principles of moral intelligence—use the following five rules when it comes time to let go.
As awkward as it is to fire someone, the right thing to do is to have a verbal exchange with that user on user. A verbal exchange between users respects the precept of moral intelligence: respect for others. Emails, phone calls, and (worst of all) texting don’t.
Another principle of ethical intelligence, Care, calls upon you to treat others with kindness and compassion. A face-to-face meeting is the best way to apply that principle when you must let an employee go.
Of course, there are conditions where this is not practical. The sales manager at a company I know had to lay off 3 other people who lived in other parts of the country, and it was up to him to meet with each and every employee. In this case, an exchange of words over the phone or webcam is, by default, acceptable. This is greater than downsizing via email or text, as it minimizes the inevitable harm, in compliance with everyone’s ultimate basic moral precept, Do Not. Damage.
Showing respect towards a user means honoring their values and preferences. It is reasonable to assume that most people prefer to receive worrying news in private. If you give bad news, do it at home with the door closed if your organization allows it. I’ve heard of managers who moved to employees’ desks, within earshot of everyone nearby. Isn’t it just a matter of common sense and decency?
A personal verbal exchange is also more likely to be in line with your company’s values.
Interrupting the verbal exchange to check your phone or interact with other distractions tells the other user that the topic isn’t vital to you. The need to bring them to their attention on less concerning issues is understandable, but with the privileges of being a manager come a responsibility. One of the everyday jobs is to show integrity when a worker has to be fired.
Should we tell the fact, the total fact and nothing yet of the fact?If you testify under oath in a legal deposition or in court, you will have to be absolutely fair. Beyond these situations, the duty to state the fact is limited by the duty to minimize the damage. In practical terms, this means being fair to the worker but also consciously opting for the words, tone of voice, and attitude they use.
Compassion is one facet of the precept of Care. It means “to suffer with” someone. Showing compassion honors the dignity of others and speaks to the component of their nature.
Finally, let us return to Do No Harm, the first precept of moral intelligence. We can’t make things better, but we deserve not to make them worse. For example, if you have to let a member of the sales team pass because their functionality is in the bottom 10%, you deserve to mention it, but there’s no reason to upload that they’re laughing annoyedly, even if they do.
A surprise takes time to be absorbed. Imagine that your doctor tells you that you have a serious illness. Wouldn’t you expect them to let the news sink in instead of summarily ignoring it and calling the next patient?
Being abandoned is rarely as bad as being diagnosed with cancer or a central disease, but it is still a major, life-changing event. You owe your worker the space to absorb the information, and you may want to know more than once what it is. is happening and why. You would ask for nothing less if this happened to you, and you would do well to do so.
If you want to fire a worker, do so according to these guidelines:
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