Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: The Week Ahead: December 23, 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012

The Cynical Girl: The Week Ahead: December 23, 2012

The Week Ahead: December 23, 2012

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 03:45 AM PST

Hello, everyone. Happy Sunday. Are you celebrating Christmas? Are you excited for the holidays?

Some HR friends of mine had to conduct layoffs, last week. And one family member of mine was spared from a layoff while another one was not (boo).

Christmas can be the best of times, the worst of times.

From 2001-2006, I laid off people during the holidays. I tried not to be sentimental about it because there is no good time to lose your job. Unemployment sucks in December and it sucks in June. I was always thankful to offer severance. (That’s a luxury for employees.)

And as I got a little older and more seasoned in my HR career, I was more comfortable responding to abject hatred of Human Resources by saying, “I am truly sorry. I know you are angry. But the company had no plan for you. And they are giving you money to find a new job. I know it doesn’t feel that way, but you sorta win.”

That sounds like an awful thing to say. I didn’t have to say it very often. And that line of logic doesn’t resonate with about 50% of the people in this world. But it’s true.

So I have two messages for the week ahead:

If you work in HR and had to fire someone before Christmas, it’s not your fault. And I am sure you treated that person with dignity. The world needs more people like you.
If you were fired before Christmas, I know things are tough. But I believe in my heart that you were just given the gift of a new lease on life. Don’t blow it.

There you go. Cynical and optimistic. Ho ho ho.

This week I will be blogging about Cee Lo Green, Vladmir Putin and snowstorms. I will also blog about home sales, Syria and Miss Universe. I might also write about Zero Dark Thirty.

Have a great week!