In the corporate environment, layoff announcements are often limited to workforce reduction and cost-cutting measures for the company. However, this also affects individuals who have to tell their colleagues about the necessity of layoffs. One employee, working as a delivery manager at an IT company in Chennai, shared a similar experience on the Reddit platform.
In his post, he stated that senior executives instructed him to fire twelve employees by Friday. He specified that all these people had worked with him since 2016 and addressed him affectionately as 'Anna,' which means older brother.
The manager wrote on Reddit that the company's senior management invited him to a closed meeting. There, they handed him an Excel spreadsheet with the names of twelve employees and required him to dismiss them all by Friday. According to the manager, he was supposed to hold a separate 15-minute meeting with each of these employees. He had worked with these people for about ten years, and for him, they were not just team members but like family.
The manager touched upon not only the topic of layoffs in his post but also many emotional aspects. He recounted that the team had repeatedly stayed in the office until three in the morning to solve production-related problems. Their daily life included shared meals, off-site tea breaks, and attending each other's weddings. The fact that team members called him 'Anna' made him upset when he was tasked with the responsibility of firing people he had worked with for so long.
In the post, the manager also mentioned the personal issues of some team members. He noted that one senior developer had taken out a large mortgage loan just four months prior. Another employee was dealing with his mother battling cancer, and his family depended on the company's medical insurance for treatment. A third employee was preparing for childbirth the following month. The manager expressed concern about how he could inform these people about the reduction during such a difficult time.
The manager also questioned the decision of the top management. He stated that layoff decisions are made by senior officials, but the responsibility for informing employees and managing their reaction falls on managers. He admitted that at one point, he considered quitting to avoid the duty of firing his colleagues. However, his wife explained to him that if he refused this job, someone else would take on this responsibility.
After publishing this post on Reddit, a discussion began regarding employment stability. Some users deemed government service more reliable, while others pointed out that in the private sector, despite better salaries and career opportunities, there is a risk of layoffs. Some also questioned whether the concept of job stability should mean the absence of accountability. During the discussion, many users agreed that the role of those making layoff decisions and the role of managers delivering that decision to employees are different. The manager's story shows that firing is not only a difficulty for the laid-off workers but also an emotionally heavy ordeal for those forced to announce it.
