What if you laid someone off but forbid them from telling anyone?
The Financial Times is reporting that accounting powerhouse PwC is conducting “silent lay-offs” in the U.K. — they’re asking people who take a voluntary severance package to keep the reason for their departure hush-hush.
PwC is asking laid-off employees to keep explanations of their departure limited to the following information:
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“You can notify your coworkers of your departure”
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“You may not mention your severance offer”
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“You may not be derogatory to PwC”
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The ‘business’ will review all messages
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Then they gave guidelines that everyone will probably recognize, such as the involuntary termination notice where the person says, “It hasn’t been an easy decision for me” and “I am really excited about what the future holds for me.” The only thing missing is, “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family.”
While this may have seemed like a good idea at the time, PwC’s “quiet layoff” approach is a disaster, and not the way to conduct a voluntary layoff. I’ll break down the problems.
to keep reading, click here: PwC Is Doing ‘Quiet Layoffs.’ It’s a Brilliant Example of What Not to Do