Treat bad news like a hand grenade; people can see you holding it so don't tease them - throw it and be ready to pick up the pieces. Once the decision has been made, you have to be brave and clinical about it.
Whether troops on operations, or staff in a firm, people pick up on things. If there is unpleasantness up ahead, more often than not, people are already aware of it. So by the time you call them in, they probably already know bad news is on the way.
The counterintuitive way is the kindest and most efficient here. Tell them first what is happening to them and then anything you can say that will soften the blow. Building up gently to telling them that they are to be let go seldom works as, in most cases, they already know what is in store and, until they hear it from you, they will not really take much else on board.
Be ready for the uncomfortable questions, for example: ‘Why me?' If you haven't done your homework before the interview, not only will you feel uncomfortable yourself but you will also be failing in your obligations to the other person.
Concern must be your absolute priority - remember you're dealing with a person and not just a ‘human resource'. Try to put yourself in their shoes: how would you like to be told? Look the employee in the eye and tell it to them straight; don't brush them off with talk of corporate plans or company strategy. But you have to get the psychology right. Telling people they are surplus to requirements is one of management's most difficult jobs. You have to be professional about it and not let your emotions get in the way.To do it, and as empathetically as possible, requires both emotional intelligence and strength of character on the part of the HR professional. There is a narrow path to be trod in doing it well.
Ultimately, breaking bad news is never going to be the high point of your day. But by dealing with it quickly, honestly and personally, the other person can start looking for work at the earliest opportunity - in the circumstances it's the fairest thing you can do. And by breaking the bad news in the right way, they may still continue to be ambassadors for the company, rather than tarnishing the firm and your name.
Jack Downton is the managing director of The Influence Business and a former colonel in the Royal Marines
