Okay folks, here’s a challenge for you: What’s the worst “you’re terminated” line you’ve ever heard. Here’s my story from the first and only time I ever “lost” a job from being right-sized. There were 31 of us called into various conference rooms that day. The VP Technology called me, my manager, and two coworkers into a conference room, and when we were all seated he said:
“Well, the Board says we have to show a profit, so your positions have been eliminated.” And he started handing out envelopes.
Is that cold-blooded or what? So the BOARD says we have to show a profit… I guess that makes the CEO, CFO, CIO and the other members of the senior team a bunch of spineless weenies who don’t know how to generate a profit on their own, eh?
Anyway, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard come out of a manager’s mouth?