Case: A layoff decision in Mongolia

People involved Decisions to be made Details in the case Additional questions

● Dulguun ● Dulguun has ● Misheel has ● Should tests

Bilguun until the been with the like the MBTI
● Misheel morning to company for be a factor in
Temuulen decide only 17 months making hiring
● BSB CEO Misheel’s ● She’s one of or firing
● Store manager future with the the five fresh decisions?
● Sales and company if she college ● In situations
marketing would be laid graduates lured like this, what
director off or to BSB by their other factors
● HR director transferred to a current CEO can managers
● Industry leader different ● She spends take into
department in most of her consideration
BSB days crunching to influence
numbers on their decision?
Microsoft ● Should
Excel as her Dulguun have
isolated taken the time
responsibility to have a
was analyzing separate
the pricing of meeting with
electronic Misheel to see
products her perspective
● MBTI on the
indicated that situation?
Misheel was an
extrovert with
strong social
skills,
emotional
intelligence,
problem-solvin
g ability, a
desire to
support others
and encourage
their personal
growth
● The obvious
answer to
Dulguun was to
lay off Misheel
as her job will
now become
unnecessary
 with the
marketing
merge
● Misheel knew
finding a new
job is going to
be hard at her
level yet
expressed to
Dulguun that
she’s willing to
accept
whatever
decision that
will be made
● A second
option was to
transfer
Misheel to a
management-tr
ack position
within the
company; HR
had yet to fill
an assistant
manager role at
one of the
stores in the
suburb
● Dulguun had
confidence in
Misheel’s
communication
skills, analytics
skills, and
marketing
knowledge, but
knew it would
be challenging
for someone at
her level
● A third option
was moving
Misheel into a
sales position
within the
company
selling
electronic
products.
 ● The sales and
marketing
director gave
his approval to
the idea of
moving
Misheel into a
sales role, if
that was
Dulguun’s
ultimate
decision.
● Dulguun left
her office after
their meeting
hoping that a
good night’s
sleep would
help her make a
decision

Laying off employees is a task that most managers and HR professionals face throughout their
careers. How should a manager handle a layoff situation professionally and successfully? What
mistakes should a manager avoid in issuing layoffs? Answer these two questions fully.

As a manager, there will be unfortunate times where we have to lay off employees for
various reasons. And while you as a manager or HR professional deals with so, you want to
make sure that you are respectful and professional at execution. To begin, I believe one of the
most essential things a manager must do is to be prepared.
Be prepared
Before you have the conversation with your employee, make sure you have all the
necessary information at hand. It is known that the absence of clear and concise explanation will
matter more when the employee receiving the information has a desire to know why the
allocating party is doing so (Brockner, 1990). Such preparations may be the employee's
performance history, any relevant documentation, and the company's termination policies and
procedures. It was discussed earlier this week that having evidence as to why you would want to
hire, or in this case fire an employee, is to have every necessary documentation as your back-up.
Also, allow yourself time to meet with your employee at least 30 days prior to their official
termination to give them ample time to process.
Meet with employee
When you have all your necessary documents, schedule a time to meet with the
individual, specifically a time and place where there is minimal distraction and a private location
where both sides of the party are open to honest discussion and feedback. You would want to
start the conversation by stating the purpose of the meeting and be clear and concise about the
reason for the termination. Be respectful and empathetic, but do not sugarcoat the situation.
Explain why it has come to the decision of their termination following the documents you
prepared beforehand. Allow the employee to express their thoughts and feelings, and respond
with empathy and understanding. You do not want to argue or become defensive, but provide
honest answers to any questions they may have.
Follow up with employee
As a manager, you still want to leave a good impression on your employees regardless if you
are letting them go. You may offer support to the employee in their job search, such as providing
a reference or offering to help with resume writing. It may be as simple as offering advice on
how to progress in their next company. Research shows that individuals who were laid off often
later developed greater regrets about their political behavior and, to a lesser extent, their career
choices (Sullivan, 2007). It is also important to note that offering support to a terminated
employee is not always possible or appropriate, depending on the circumstances of the
termination. Therefore, if you do decide to offer support, be clear and firm about what you can
and cannot do, and make sure that you are doing so in a way that aligns with your company's
policies and values.
What not to do
What you do not want to do is the complete opposite of what has been discussed above. You
do not want to show up without proper documentation because those documentations of
warnings, write ups, and performance reviews will help protect you and your company if that
employee decides to take legal action. You also do not want to fire an employee in public as it
could be humiliating and embarrassing for them, especially in front of their colleagues. Never
leave the meeting on bad terms because it could ruin you and your company’s reputation. You
want to execute your part as a manager in laying off an employee with much professionalism and
respect that will help prevent any further commotion.

Resources
Brockner, J., DeWitt, R. L., Grover, S., & Reed, T. (1990). When it is especially
important to explain why: Factors affecting the relationship between managers' explanations of a
layoff and survivors' reactions to the layoff. Journal of experimental social psychology, 26(5),
389-407.
Sullivan, S. E., Forret, M. L., & Mainiero, L. A. (2007). No regrets? An investigation of
the relationship between being laid off and experiencing career regrets. Journal of Managerial
Psychology, 22(8), 787-804.