4 Genuine Examples of Delivering Bad News to Employees
Subscribe to The Thoughtful Leader newsletter to discover leadership insights to elevate your team's performance.
One of the hardest parts of managing others is the need to have hard conversations with them.
When we have to deliver bad news to employees, our natural inclination is to avoid it or speed through it. Not knowing what to say in these situations drives our fear of awkwardness and negative reactions.
Below are four scenarios that managers will likely have to deal with. We offer tips for how to approach each situation and what you can say to break the bad news in a less painful way.
Scenario: Layoff or Firing
The dreaded task of having to let someone go is never going to be pleasant. How you notify the employee can have a significant impact on their outlook on both you and the company.
How to Approach It
Get to the point
This doesn’t mean you should be harsh or insensitive when breaking the news. It means you shouldn’t dance around the subject and act as if everything is normal at first, only to drop a bombshell on the employee.
Thank them for meeting, convey that this will be a serious discussion, and let them know what decision has been made about their employment.
Stay professional and neutral
You can be empathetic to their situation, but don’t try to be over-comforting. Feeling guilty or remorseful only makes your job harder and may make the employee feel they are being unfairly let go.
End on a positive note
Emotions will likely be running high. The employee is probably experiencing a lot of fear and uncertainty about their future. Try to ease their stress by offering support or resources to help with the transition out of the company.
How to Say It
Laying off:
“I asked you to meet with me today because I have some difficult news to share. Due to company-wide reorganization and shifting priorities, it has been decided that several positions, including yours, will be eliminated. I want you to know that your performance was not a factor in this decision. I will be happy to act as a reference as you seek new opportunities. Let me know if there’s any support I can offer you moving forward.”
Firing:
“Today will be your last working day at the office. I have come to the decision to terminate your employment, effective today. You have received several warnings and an official discipline action regarding failure to comply with company policies. Please take some time to read this notification and ask any questions you may have. HR will be working with you today to complete this transition. ”
Scenario: Underperformance
Telling an employee that they have been underperforming can be excruciatingly awkward.
It may cause tension and elicit an emotional or indignant response. That’s why you must convey the message in a productive way.
How to Approach It
Remember your intention
The reason managers bring up underperformance is to correct the problems and get employees back on the right track. You want to help them succeed in their role so that they can be a productive member of the team, operating at their full potential.
Be constructive, not destructive
Don’t allow your anger or disappointment over the performance issues shape your approach. Yelling or casting blame are counterproductive. Instead, offer genuine observations and constructive feedback that the employee can build on.
Coaching and resources
Simply telling someone that they are not meeting expectations will not help much to resolve the underlying issues. Be prepared to coach your employee and give them the support they need.
How to Say It
Manager: “I need to address some issues I’ve observed with your performance lately. You have not been meeting your goals when it comes to filling quotas and delivering your work on time. Can you help me understand why you’re struggling?”
Employee: “I’ve had trouble dividing up my time between the different tasks I have to complete. It seems like every time I finish something, more work is put on my plate.”
Manager: “I see. It seems like you would benefit from more organization and time management. Kira has a very good system in place for managing her workflow. I’d like you to shadow her this week and get an idea of how she handles things.”
Scenario: Passed Up for Promotion
When one of your employees is in the running for a promotion but is not selected, they will be looking for details and answers.
How to Approach It
Offer feedback
Most people will want to know exactly why they weren’t chosen for a promotion. Be as honest as possible about the decision making process and what led to the final decision.
Validate and reaffirm
Not getting a promotion is a blow to the ego. The employee may feel like they aren’t good enough and develop insecurities. Make sure your employee knows that they are valued and remind them of the great things they have accomplished.
Encourage them
The stars may not have aligned this time, but remind them that there will be other opportunities for them. Discuss what steps you can take together to help them reach their professional goals.
How to Say It
Manager: “I have some news regarding the promotion which you were being considered for. Unfortunately, the decision was made to place another candidate in this position. Deep thought and consideration went into the process and final decision. I understand if you are disappointed and want to talk further.”
Employee: “What did the other candidate have that I didn’t?”
Manager: “In the end, it came down to the fact that this person had 3 years of experience in managing cross-functional teams which is very relevant to this particular role. If you would like to become more involved in cross-functional team management, let’s set some goals to pursue that in your career development. I have a lot of faith in your performance and I think your people skills would help you excel in that area.”
Scenario: Rejecting an Employee’s Proposal
How to Approach It
Tell them why
If there are specific issues in the proposal that led you to turn it down, tell the employee what problems you are seeing. If the reasons are related to finances or other business factors, let them know.
What can they do differently?
Suggest how they might be able to modify the proposal to make it more appealing down the line. A ‘no’ right now doesn’t mean you can’t revisit their ideas in the future.
Find another way to say “yes”
Relieve some of the disappointment of rejection by seeing if there’s a small part of the proposal you CAN implement, or by offering an alternative to what was requested.
How to Say It
“Thank you for your proposal regarding this training software for new hires. Your points were well thought out and I can see where you were coming from with some of your concerns about our current onboarding process. However, I don’t see the need to spend that much up front to fix some of these issues. If you were able to find some alternatives to an expensive software, I’d be willing to consider those. What about a quarterly budget for on-site training and seminars?”
Subscribe to The Thoughtful Leader newsletter to discover leadership insights to elevate your team's performance.
