Delivering a layoff conversation with dignity
You have to tell a well-liked employee their role is being eliminated.
Strategy
Say the decision in the first fifteen seconds. Do not build up to it. The rest of the conversation belongs to them, not to your discomfort. Coordinate with HR before you sit down.
How this one opens
I have hard news and I am going to say it plainly.
This is the first line of the full script for this exact situation.
What usually happens next
Most likely: shock, a long pause, then "why me"
One thing not to say
This is harder for me than it is for you
You are seeing a piece of this script. 5 parts are written in full.
The rest of the opening, the full pushback path, everything to avoid, and the follow-up message — written for this situation.
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Before you have this one
This conversation sits next to real financial and legal consequences for the person in front of you. Confirm severance terms, benefit dates and what you are permitted to say with your HR or people team before you sit down, and point them to the support your organization provides — HR contact, employee assistance programme, outplacement. If they become distressed, stop the logistics and stay with them. TACT prepares how you say it; it cannot tell you what your organization is obliged to do.
Need this script tailored to a sensitive situation?
No two workplace conflicts are exactly alike. If you are preparing for a highly sensitive, high-stakes meeting and cannot afford to make a mistake, let our executive team write a custom, turn-key script tailored precisely to your situation.
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