I was recently contacted by a researcher from the BBC. I like their thoughtful and global treatment of the news and was excited over the prospect of being interviewed about the effects of layoffs on survivors. They however wanted to know, if I went into organizations and “fired people.”
I think they were influenced by the move “In the Air.” I saw the movie and thought it was OK but presented a distorted picture of the layoff process. Some outplacement firms do pass on the message, but never in the way depicted in the film.
When I told the researcher that, not only didn’t I go in and fire people; I advised clients to always have the responsible manager do that, they were no longer interested in putting me on the air. Even responsible journalists like those at the BBC seem more caught up on the sensationalism of layoffs than understanding their toxic effects on survivors.
If anyone does have examples of really bad layoff processes such as depicted in “In the Air,” I’d like to hear them. I’ll try to incorporate them into my new book on “worst management practices.”
