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Layoff Euphemisms

Posted by: Jena McGregor on November 17

This post from the great Bob Sutton, whose “No A**hole Rule” became a management book sensation, is a good one. He compiled all the euphemisms going around for getting canned—“rightsized,” “streamlined,” or my personal favorite, “offboarded.”

Reminds me of a pitch I got the other day from Braithwaite Communications, a Philadelphia-based communications firm that was writing to sell me on an article written by their president oxymoronically titled “Straight Talk During Tough Times: How to Communicate an RIF to Your Employees.” Since when is an RIF straight talk? (That’s reduction in force, for any corporate-speak novices.) Why can’t companies just call layoffs by their rightful name? Making a painful process a little more human, and a little less coldly clinical, could go a long way, indeed.

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Reader Comments

Hugh Braithwaite

November 18, 2008 04:40 PM

Jena, you're right. RIF has become common to many but not all. Simpler is always better when communicating tough news.


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How can you manage smarter? BusinessWeek writers Jena McGregor, Nanette Byrnes, Emily Thornton, Matthew Boyle, Michael Orey, Aili McConnon, Michelle Conlin and Diane Brady synthesize insights from the brightest business thinkers, critique the latest management trends, and comment on leaders in the news.

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