16-Oct-13
What is a bad News?
At managerial level there are some decisions that need daring and courage. Sometime these decisions become challenges for a manager of an organization. For example, as Moller (1999) states that these challenges may be of any types; completion of projects on time, dealing with headstrong employees, hiring and firing employees. One of the biggest challenges that a manager often faces in an organizational is to deliver a bad news to its employees.
Bad news: We are going to fire Mr. Mark Twin by this week.
For me, as a manger, delivering this bad news is worst part of my job. Nothing can be so bad with the employee at the workplace but its firing. It is not just the truth to deliver in front of the employee, but it needs courage and daring, mentioned above, to deliver this news to the employee.
Delivering the bad News
It's the uneasiness of the probability of taking care of it defectively – and realizing that finishing so can worsen the effect on your employees, their gains, and your entire organization. Uncovering the most ideal approach to filling the blow on everything from layoffs to compensation stops to individual censures is something that inconveniences even the guides of the nation's top organizations. Not a single person preferences having the terrible discussion yet allotting the awful with the exception is a part of the occupation as a manager.
Approach to deliver the bad news.
Delivering the bad news is not easy, a manger should
- arrange a meeting with the employee
- explain him about the concerns and it’s always better to justfy your or management decision.
- Arranage meeting with the employee, be credible, select proper words to deliver the news, be prepared for any reaction and motivate him so that he could not feel disappointed.
Approach used by me
Mark Twin was one of my best employees but due to his declined performance since five months, the management took the decision. For me, as a department manager, it was really tough to deliver this horrible news to him. I was really confused and lining up the words I am going to deliver. According to Donnelly (2011), and he states the majority of the managers do not have a proper way of delivering bad news to their subordinate. The writer who is an author at an organizations psychologist, terms that manager’s intention towards employees can be good, but delivering bad news it is just like digging a grave for themselves. In order to entirely pass off a discharge declaration, there is no proper way out to handle this situation. However, I have to deliver the news in all cases.
I arranged a meeting with him, and prepared myself for the worst reaction from him, as I was expecting the harsh reaction from his side, as I knew he is a short tempered person. I entered in a meeting room with full preparation, I stepped in, he was already there, I asked him to be seated, and then I took my place. I started, inquiring about his work, and how does he feel about his performance, I continued, asking about his family issues, if any. I tried to know the reason of his bad performance sicne five months. I observed he was unable to justify himself. I prepared myself and delivered the bad news to him.
“Dear Mark Twin, I respect you and your skills, I have no doubt, on your skills but since few months, we were receiving complains about your work. I really admire your positive approach towards the work since 2009, the year you joined us. But the management has decided to terminate you because of your bad performance since five months. I am sorry to say, “You are being Terminated”. I, as a manager of department, is always here to help you out. But, the management has decided and we have to follow the company rules”.
Handling Employees’ Reaction
According to Barron (2013), procrastination can be one of the biggest problems when delivering a bad news to subordinate. Employees become exasperated when from their manager there is an avoidance of communication to them until the last moment. The writer elaborates, it is better to resolve this issue as early as possible if it is the case of a single-employee situation before this it spreads out and affects the overall office environment.
When I delivered the bad news “We are going to fire you by this week,” it spreads in the twinkle of an eye and he got frustrated and disappointed by this all. After having this shocking news, I could see many many facets, and expected a harsh reaction from his side. Surprisingly, he was so clam and it seems he was ready for this termination. He just delivered a sentence and left the place. “I feel proud to be a part of such organization and feel blessed on having a head like you, I apologize for my bad performance, and I respect management’s decision. Thank you so much”
It was really difficult to deliver the news but by the grace of God, everything settled down easily and I asked my secretory to complete the paperwork with him. It is accurate all hands on deck and in life, and provided that you can keep this disposition predominant in the workplace, employees will inevitably own it as an adapting ability.
References
Moller, S. (1999). How you would deliver bad news to a subordinate.?
Donnelly, T. (2011). How to deliver bad news to employees . Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/guides/201101/how-to-deliver-bad-news-to-employees.html
Barron , K. (2013). How to act after delivering bad news to an employee. Retrieved from http://agbeat.com/entrepreneur/how-to-act-after-delivering-bad-news-to-an-employee/
