Shit, I have to 'make' someone redundant

[JCMach1]

I never thought I would have to do this when I became an administrator, but there it is...

All that work of creating a team of like-minded people working towards a common goal... shot to hell because management callously decides that X% of staff must go.

I have exhausted all resources trying to defend the position.

How do you other managers and bosses deal with this? I know each of these people very personally...

Also, there is no obvious dead wood or candidates for removal. I have to fire a good, hard-working person!

Fuck... :(

[Rambis]

1. Good luck

sucks!- I could not do it-

[hobbit709]

2. Suggest the clown that came up with that idea.

[JCMach1]

6. Not an option... came down from board of regents

I work in higher ed...

[Bucky]

3. I've only had to fire people for cause in the past.

Now that I'm teaching, I don't ever have to fire someone ever again. I didn't like how I'd rationalize it to myself even when the employee was giving cause for termination. I even had one girl plead with me about "Pleease, pleeeease, give me one more chance." That was depressing as hell for at least a week thereafter.

You have to lay it out quickly and make it impersonal -- especially in this case. No more foreplay beyond, "Thank you for coming, I have some bad news." After that, just put the cards on the table; people deal best and most quickly with bad news when it's put bluntly. As fucked up as "It's nothing wrong that you did" may sound, it's better for them to hear this and understand that life is unfair than to let them wonder if there's something wrong they did that you're just not willing to tell them.

[MajorChode]

4. Involve the employees in the decision

You might get lucky and find an employee that wanted to retire or move on to something else anyway.

[JCMach1]

7. Not in the U.S.

Everyone is here to work... otherwise they would be back in their home country...

[Bucky]

9. That's probably true of immigrants, but hardly all Americans

[Bucky]

8. I think I disagree with that.

Yes, if someone wanted to move on, it would be an easy out. But if no one does, you could end up encouraging office games or stirring up bad blood. There's times when empowering works; but my guess is that anything short of a clean break for a needed, non-redundant team member risks poisoning the stew.

[JCMach1]

12. Yeah, I agree- the Survivor Island type meeting would not work in this situation

[MajorChode]

22. Mandating the decision without employee input insures "bad blood"

I see absolutely no reason not to involve the employees themselves. Doing anything else just creates extreme distrust of management. Most employees understand that hard decisions sometimes have to be made. Consulting with them at least gives them input into that decision if nothing else. Assuming such a move will create "bad blood" just insults the intelligence and integrity of the work force and reduces them to nothing more than children who need to be directed at all times and can't be trusted to make hard decisions. If you treat your employees like children they WILL act like children.

There's also lots of situations where such a move can be beneficial to all involved. If you have enough employees there's an excellent chance that at least one of them is seriously considering moving on to something else and depending on the severance or retirement package that's being offered (if any) this can actually make it very advantageous to someone in that situation because they are getting paid to do something they were going to do anyway. And many times if you don't ask, there's simply no way of knowing if someone wants to take advantage of that.

[JCMach1]

25. You have just described how upper management has treated the situation...

My direct manager had intended to meet 'the quota' by not filling vacancies and essentially firing people who were on their last leg with HR. This would seem a 'no brainer'...

Upper managed did not buy into this and wants x% of those who are actually on the job... i.e. it is classic job churning... I might also add upper management had told my direct boss at the last minute. I found out on Sunday and only have until Wednesday.

i.e. , I don't see anything positive that will come out of this whatever I do...

[Bucky]

26. Yep, they definitely dumped it hard on you

In theory you should be getting a little more remunerated for this sort of grief, but it'll be sucky no matter how you play it.

[MajorChode]

28. Unfortunetly this happens quite often

However, as a front line manager, this doesn't mean you have to simply pass those heavy handed policies to your employees without involving them. You are correct in that the chances of a positive outcome are slim and none, but at least you have the opportunity of maintaining some level of trust between you and them.

[backtoblue]

5. X%

Should be the management... But if you HAVE to let someone go I think the person who came up with the idea in the first place should be the one to do it. (IMHO which doesn't mean much)

[JCMach1]

10. regents, so it's the equivalent of getting the message from the CEO...

i.e. no choice or flexibility in the matter

[backtoblue]

20. I'm very sorry

I am in lower management and I have had to fire people for various reasons, but it has to be difficult to fire someone who is doing a good job. There comes a time to separate yourself from the identity of your employed position --- Just let the people know that it is NOT your decision and that you are acting on behalf of CEO. I know that it won't be easy, but you can do it honestly or like a "butthead".

[HopeHoops]

11. Names on a dartboard.

Or you could just level with them and draw straws.

How come the bastards that make these decisions always seem to be insulated from having to face the people who are getting axed for no good reason?

[JCMach1]

14. Actually, I was thinking to give my direct boss the options

in our discussions...

and then I can firmly put the final decision on him (who is leaving at the end of the year BTW, lucky him)

[HopeHoops]

16. Actually, if he's willing to take the fall there, I would go with it.

He can't be that bad if he would entertain the idea. No matter how it plays out, somebody is going to be "that asshole".

[datasuspect]

13. Coffee is for closers

it's a dog eat dog world out there, and if you aren't generating revenue or saving on costs, you are economic dead weight as a decision-maker.

[JCMach1]

15. It's education... my unit is involved directly in retention

we save the Uni millions every year in continuing tuitions...

It's not performance, it's one of those 'brilliant' across the board cuts that serves no other purpose than job churning.

[Orsino]

17. If there is any severance involved, make it voluntary...

...just in case someone is ready to make that leap. Better that it be part of an employee's plan than sprung on him unawares.

If this can't work, you'll have to do what so many bosses do: invent a criterion which one of team hasn't met.

[JCMach1]

19. There may/or may not be severance... as is typical, our management hasn't said

only 'hinted' what might happen.

[Tikki]

18. Is there a difference...

Are you firing or laying-off someone? :shrug:

[JCMach1]

21. Position caput... i.e. essentially fired

however, they are terming it redundancy...

[Deep13]

23. My wife had to lay off 11 people.

Either that or close the plant. Sorry to hear it, but it is the same everywhere.

[Pierre.Suave]

24. Surely there are too many managers

And one, or more of them, are redundant...

problem solved.

[mnhtnbb]

27. Do you have a large enough team that by decreasing everyone's salary

you can create enough savings to keep everyone?