Couple of things:
Went out with a girl in college, she attended school about 400 miles from me. Perfectly nice woman, we got along well, compatible in many ways and I got pissed off about something she said in a letter (this was way before e-mail guys) and never wrote back.
Her friend who introduced us asked me what was going on and I said nothing, she wrote and I did not reply, she came to my school when she was home for Thanksgiving and I avoided her. No explanation ever. I was a real creep to her and she did not deserve to be treated that way and deserved some type of brief, if implausible, explanation, but I never gave her one and never told anyone else about it.
I can’t make it up to her. It was a long time ago and what would I say? But every so often, as when prompted by this question, it hits me and I realize that I acted like a real shit to her.
The other: having to fire people for no good reason, acting as the “hatchet” man for a boss who had no guts to do things like this face-to-face but made sure he had two assistants who were capable to do it. Of course, we dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s with the lawyers and sometimes there were reasons to do it, but when you sit across the table from someone whom you have just let go and see they are stunned and see the shock and the horror and the sorrow on their faces and the doubts in their eyes, you wonder sometimes what you yourself are doing to collect a paycheck.
Right now, we are seeing thousands of economic layoffs and that is a different situation. What I refer to was a company in good economic times that was run by one person who knew how to manipulate people and was frantic to get rid of people he could not control.
As for me, I have sat on both sides of the table, and I understand the process and I know that the person on the other side of the table also has a family and a house and a livelihood to worry about too. It’s a shame the way it happens sometimes.
I wish there was a better way to do it.
SRM