This is a how-to article on a difficult administrative procedure --laying off employees. What stands out for me is the emphasis on employee dignity. As a manage

This is a how-to article on a difficult administrative procedure --laying off employees. What stands out for me is the emphasis on employee dignity. As a manager, the layoff might feel like its about you, but it's really about them. Accommodate, but don't indulge their emotions. What's missing is that a layoff conversation is also the beginning of a breakup. The economic truth may be transactional, but the lived experiences is emotional. Highly invested professional relationships are changing irrevocably. maybe it was great, maybe it wasn't. These employees have served the mission of your company. If they showed up to work, they were trying. As an employee, one can feel discarded. In this setting, the one emotion a manager should not suppress is gratitude: don't forget to say thank you.