I’m giving the captaincy to someone else. Your job doesn’t exist in the new structure. On this occasion you have been unsuccessful. The budget cuts mean we can’t continue to fund your post. There is a lot of bad news around at the moment and it’s down to managers to tell people what they don’t want to hear.
Is there a good way to break bad news? No, bad news is bad news however it is delivered and whoever delivers it. This does not let line managers off the hook, you can’t delegate this task to HR or send a text. Well not if you want to retain any credible to be a decent human being!
If you are interviewed for a job you know there is chance you will be unsuccessful. If there is a major restructuring you know there is a possibility your job will go. If there are big budget cuts you know there may be no money for your post. If bad news is expected it is less of a shock. Most people say the worst part is waiting to hear. They want a clear time scale for when they will know and the sooner the better. They want to hear first not read about it in the local paper. No one wants to find out from a colleague the bad news that your manager hasn’t yet found the right moment to tell you.
Everyone is happy to ring up the successful candidate and give them the good news but I appreciate a manager who rings up the unsuccessful candidates to tell them the outcome of their interview and provide some helpful feedback.
As a general rule bad news should be given face to face. In the current financial climate bad news is often about service reductions. This is a different audience. The politicians and senior managers will talk to the media to explain the budget positions, the tough choices to be made and awkward questions to be answered. But it is the local line manager who finds themselves standing in front of parents of people with a learning disability attending a Day Centre earmarked for closure or relative of the elderly people in a home to be closed. People will be upset and angry. You are the figure of authority they direct their feelings at. You can’t duck this staff need to see you giving the bad news and not leaving them to take the stick. The services users have a right to hear it direct from management and a right to tell you the problems and distress this will cause. It’s difficult, you probably don’t want the place to close either. It’s not for you to defend the council’s policy or criticise the Government. You are there to give the facts, explain what will happen next and absorb the pain and frustration .It’s not pleasant but it is in the job description.
Blair McPherson author of People management in a harsh financial climate and Equipping managers for an uncertain future both published by www.russellhouse.co.uk