In business, the impact of our actions must be considered. I was given a bad performance rating because I said something that made the boss look bad one time, even though I had documented an increase in the work I had done compared with the previous year. When bad news is communicated, it is important to show compassion and to treat the individual with dignity and respect. My manager took me out for a 1-year anniversary lunch with two other members of my team. I was humiliated when during the lunch, he complained that I didn't work hard enough.
Managers can take the initiative to show compassion.
As a supervisor, who reluctantly had to lay off a good worker, I felt a responsibility to do what I could to lessen the pain and shock of the experience. I made a few inquiries and lined up a couple of job interviews for her to go to immediately, one of which turned into a permanent position. Although my supervisor felt it might be too painful to accompany me to lunch, he allowed some of my coworkers to take me to eat, console me, talk about plans, etc. Long after leaving that company, several coworkers continued to feed me job leads, encouragement, and warmth. People should not be misled about their chances of surviving a downsizing.