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Why Companies Fire in Bulk

Insight #357

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Once again, we read reports of companies firing thousands of employees at once. Even the federal government has now tried its hands at it. (Yes, I know the decision came from elsewhere, but the outcome is the same. And what is also the same is that the decision came from corporate minds, not federal heads.)

Have you ever wondered why firing happens in bulk? You know what I mean. When bosses in large companies fire multiple employees at the same time. Often using mass media to communicate what in polite, empathetic society should be private, personal, and one-on-one.

When we hear about employees fired individually, one at a time, we assume it’s because of poor performance or unacceptable behavior, however defined. But in bulk? Surely that’s because management screwed up. Why else do they suddenly wake up to the fact they have an over-supply of people?

Oh, you say it’s not because of poor management, but because of a new strategy? So, a new direction decided upon by management is a good enough excuse to dump people… because they are suddenly no longer needed? How convenient.

But, tell me, why are employees the ones to suffer? Should the decision-makers not also share the burden? I’ll tell you why. Because corporate managers lack the courage to take personal responsibility for the consequences of their decisions and actions. (Yes, I am generalizing. I have worked with a few leaders who swallowed some discomfort before they passed the pain down the line.)

Even so, why fire in bulk? Because we grieve for the one, but not for the many. We tolerate it when people die en mass (from a virus; in war), but when someone we know well dies, it rattles us.

We don’t hurt for the multitude. We ache for the individual.

Which is why Josef Stalin got away with what he did for so long. And why he could calmly and accurately state that, “One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”

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And that, Dear Reader, is why you never see the names of the statistics executives callously fired in bulk.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.

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. . .

Quote of the Moment:

“I told my team I was pleased they were fired up, but sadly, they stopped listening after the word fired.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.

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