Question

Everyone hates bad news, may it be the giver or the one receiving it. However, there is always a better way to make this news a little bit easier for either party that is involved. Personally I don’t find it ethical to pass a layoff message via email or text message since this will find the receiver off-guard and it may have a negative impact to his/her life. But I would prefer doing it face to face and make it as professional as possible to minimize the impact in which the receiver gets this news.

Most employees have it in their minds that their bosses are the kind of people who cares less about their feelings, while in most cases this is actually not true. The majority of employers don’t like hurting their employee’s feelings or frustrating them. This makes it quite a challenge when there comes a time to convey a negative message.

As a HR manager, it’s always natural to feel uncertain” when conveying any disappointing news. Passing this message is not an easy task and you often feel stuck. Though there's no way to absolutely pass off a layoff message or similar news, but there are still better ways to navigate this status quo.

1. Understand the situation.

It’s always good for a HR to fully understand how the decision was made, those who were consulted, all other possibilities that were discussed, the ultimate reason to why you have to pass this message and also the ultimate outcome.. “The manager should take as much time as necessary so that he/she is confident in his/her own understanding of the answers.

1. Being direct to the point.

How the message is delivered matters most, you need to confidently convey the information and leave no room for interpretation. Be thoughtful and caring without sugar coating the news. No need of wrapping such message in soft language since this attempts to lessen the impact, and the receiver who in this case is the employee may not understand the full weight of this news. This will be tough for people to digest. As an alternative it’s good to “laser-focus on the decision and go direct to the point.

1. Give an explanation on how this decision was met.

People will tend to accept an unfavorable outcome if they believe that the process that was used to meet a certain decision was sound and clear. This is well known as “procedural fairness”. As a HR manager it’s good to explain the reasons and the process that was followed so as to meet to the point of passing a negative message. And in most cases if the process was fair and be that there was a solid reason for this process the receiver may not take it with a big weight and accept the outcome.

1. Allow for feedback but not debate.

After delivering the news and having given the expiation on how the decision was made, it’s good to give the individual or group room for reaction/feedback. Being in the role of HR manager, you have to listen to their concerns, so as to absorb some of their emotions, may it be anger, surprise, or anything else. But one thing you don’t have to do is getting into a debate about this matter since decision has already been made. After listening to them it’s good to take some break, may it be a few minutes or a day for them to process the information and then help them move forward.

This process is not an easy process but it’s not about being comfortable and being loved. As a business owner or HR manager, you got to do what’s best for the employee and eventually what’s best for the company.

Responding to my classmate comment above. Response should at least be 300 words

Answer 1

The HR acts a link between the management and the employees. The HR is responsible for sharing the business policy changes made by the company management to the employees and make them adhere to the same. The employees share their issues with HR, who is responsible for forwarding the same to the management. Hence HR is an important constituent of business.

In my views, people often consider HR to be stone-hearted and employee aversive. This is so because most of the bad news pertaining to the employees, is shared by the HR managers. Most of the employees consider that the HR Managers are a roadblock to their career, aspirations as well as happiness. But they are not aware of the reality that HR are mere face of the management and they share the decisions of the management.

To change this perspective, HR must try to relate to the employees when dealing with their issues and inhibitions. HR must have good communication skills but they must be better listeners. The HR must listen to the employees patiently and must have a tactful approach of handling the issues diligently. This way, the humane side of HR will get projected to the employees and they will stop blaming HR for every bad thing happening in their career. Moreover employees will be able to open to the HR in a better way.