Shidio Rack Gives Electronic Pink Slips
The folks at Radio Shack have earned the nickname a friend of mine and I came up with for the nearly ubiquitus consumer electronics retailer. If not for the historically overpriced, shoddy quality merchandise, definitely for this act.
MSNBC is reporting that Radio Shack is laying off around 400 employees and decided to deliver the news electronically. What an absolutely heartless thing to do. I mean, layoffs are bad enough. I’ve been through one. I’ve seen many of my friends go through them as well. It’s like someone kicked you in the stomach then tossed you out on your tuckus. But to receive the message in an impersonal method like email? That just adds to the indignity of it all.
Different people have different reactions to this kind news, and may get violent or otherwise do something malicious. The one time I was laid off, I was walked out of the building to make sure I didn’t do anything like that or take anything I wasn’t supposed to with me. It seems like a good idea from the company’s point of view to do that. I have to wonder what damage outgoing employees caused after being notified by email of their termination.
I’m a big fan of doing a lot of things electronically. Giving people seriously bad news like “you’re fired” is not one of them. These things need a personal touch, at the very least a phone call. Not an email.
Eric Hanke gets credit for bringing this to my attention.
