A Sad Day in Paradise

Today is a sad day.  Today, an employee of one of my clients “position was eliminated.”  It happens all the time, for many reasons, but today I felt it rather keenly.  Imagine finding out a friend just moved to another city and you found out today…that’s how it felt.

I understand the business mentality and many times I am part of it a lot of times.  I get the need to make tough decisions in a “tough economy” in order to maximize profits…I do it all the time.  In fact, I was part of a similar process about three months ago.  We had two employees, one of their positions was eliminated, the other was reassigned to another location.  Honestly, I was the primary driving factor in eliminating one of the positions…so I get it.

What worries and saddens me is the lack of overall accountability in this picture.  I know, decision-makers can’t meet face-to-face with every “decision” they make and convey the news (that might have happened here, I don’t know all the details).  Oftentimes the people that make the decisions to lay people off, eliminate positions, and automate equipment are not the ones who feel the sting.

What we need is more accountability.  When I eliminated that position I did not feel the sting appropriately.  I justified…acknowledged…and framed things how I saw them, but in the end I feel the sting.  I miss that employee, and I think that’s what we need!  The people making the decisions should understand that “cutting costs” by eliminating positions must understand that “cutting costs” has costs. 

The cuts cost society jobs, employees, income, and people in the workforce (even if temporarily).  The cuts cost effectiveness of the employees in the environment.  We’ve all asked to be more with less, but the reality is that something is cut, something “unimportant…” perhaps something that our business was built on.  Finally, the cuts cost loyalty of the employees, after all, if someone is gone today I might be gone tomorrow.

We need to measure, assess, and weigh the costs of “cost-cutting” before making the decision.  The cuts might be necessary and best for the business, or they might not be…only time will tell.  Remember: consider long-term costs to short-term decisions.