Layoff stories like that are all too common. Managers often take a clinical approach when breaking the bad news, fearing they'll get sued if they say the wrong thing, or end up facing angry -- even violent -- employees. But being too cautious can make a boss seem downright heartless.

    Executive coaches say small-business owners in particular could use a lesson or two in easing the pain, since they often don't have human-resources specialists to help them out and they may go for long stretches without firing anyone.

    Here's some expert advice on how bosses can best express their regret over layoffs and leave their former employees with dignity and self-respect -- and maybe a little less anger.

    1 Say the right things.

    A manager should sit down in a private area and clearly tell the employees one on one that they are being let go and why, says Karen Lucas, a Chicago executive coach. Bosses who rarely have laid off employees before should rehearse what they will say, and even bring notes into the meeting, so they don't say the wrong things or forget something important.

    The basics: Be direct in telling people the company can no longer employ them and explain in detail the financial hardship causing the need for layoffs. And even if performance issues factored into your decision, tell the employees it's not their fault -- it's yours -- and that you've tried to avoid layoffs as much as you could.

    People feel better if "you're giving them a sense that this was not an easy decision but this was a decision that needed to be made," says Ms. Lucas.

    At the same time, refrain from talking about other employees' situations, which could raise questions of fairness. And don't bring up problems with an employee's performance if you haven't discussed them before. Stick to the point: Explain the financial circumstances that caused the need for layoffs.

    You should also give the employee time to react. Some people will be angry, some will cry and some will do nothing at all. But give them time to process what's happening and to ask the questions they need to ask.

    Also realize that they may not take in everything you say at such a tough time. So, Ms. Lucas and others recommend presenting laid-off employees with written materials explaining the terms of their layoff, including any severance or other benefits they qualify for.

    One final thing to remember: It's good to show sympathy and regret for the situation, but don't pretend you know how they feel, warns Leila Bulling Towne, a San Francisco executive coach. "Fact is, you don't know how they feel, because you're not getting laid off," she says. "Saying that will just make them feel worse."

    2 Help them move on.

    You can soften employees' pain over the job loss by helping them find their next job, especially now with the economy so bad. Present a list of possible resources for the terminated employee, such as job-placement experts or contacts at other companies hiring in your industry. Assuming they are solid performers, offer to give them a good recommendation and perhaps even reach out to acquaintances who you think may be hiring.

    It's also important to consider timing. Some managers prefer to handle layoffs on Friday afternoons, assuming that it gives everybody a chance to decompress. But Ms. Lucas recommends handling layoffs on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so people can immediately do something about their job situation, such as contact a career counselor or a prospective employer. Otherwise, they may just spend the weekend ruminating over the bad news.

    3 Allow for transition.

    Fearing retribution, some companies have security escort newly laid-off employees immediately to the door -- perhaps allowing them a short detour to their desks to collect belongings.

    Not only is this a major insult to employees who have worked hard, but it kills the morale of the employees who witness it. Unless there's valid reason to believe employees will act out, give them some time -- even a few weeks -- to announce their departure to colleagues and plan their next move.

    Paul Silvis, founder of Restek Corp., a chromatography company, says he has laid off about 60 employees over the years. He usually allows someone who has been laid off to stay on for up to a couple of months to give the person time to find a new job. He also says he does all he can to coach them and help them find a new position.

    Of course, he must trust the individual employees enough to think they'll act appropriately. And they're asked to sign a contract with some ground rules, such as promising they won't steal competitive information.

    But Mr. Silvis says the employees feel less like they're being kicked out the door. "The primary thing we try to do is let them leave with their self-esteem," he says.

    Mark Eckley無(wú)法忘記那一天發(fā)生的事：他的100個(gè)同事被告知已被裁員，并在保安的監(jiān)視下被送出公司大門(mén)。他們走后，他們的上司還說(shuō)了幾句很不中聽(tīng)的話。

    Eckley先生并沒(méi)有在十二年前的那一天被裁員，但當(dāng)時(shí)的情景讓他十分憤怒和擔(dān)憂，促使他去別處找了新的工作。“我們整天看著窗外那些剛被裁員的人”，Eckley先生說(shuō)。他是Bellefonte, Pa的一名客戶(hù)支持專(zhuān)家。“當(dāng)時(shí)心里真的很不是滋味。”

    small biz　　用上述方式裁員的做法比比皆是，管理者往往會(huì)斬釘截鐵地宣布裁員的消息，生怕自己會(huì)因說(shuō)錯(cuò)話而遭到起訴，或是面臨來(lái)自雇員的憤怒和暴力。但這樣做卻會(huì)讓管理者看起來(lái)太沒(méi)有人情味了。

    以下列舉一些專(zhuān)家提出的建議，管理者可以用這種方法來(lái)表達(dá)對(duì)裁員的遺憾，并給被裁員工留下尊嚴(yán)和寬慰，至少不會(huì)太過(guò)生氣。

    1、說(shuō)正確的話

    芝加哥的一名高管教練Karen Lucas提議，管理者應(yīng)和員工在一個(gè)專(zhuān)門(mén)的場(chǎng)所進(jìn)行談話，明確地告訴他將被裁員，以及他為什么會(huì)被裁員。管理者在進(jìn)行談話前應(yīng)該先準(zhǔn)備一下到時(shí)候該怎么說(shuō)，甚至可以記在筆記本上，這樣就不會(huì)說(shuō)錯(cuò)話或是遺漏些什么了。

    關(guān)鍵在于，要直截了當(dāng)?shù)馗嬖V員工他將不再被公司聘用，并向他描述是公司的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況導(dǎo)致了裁員。雖然你在作決定時(shí)也考慮到了該員工的表現(xiàn)，但你只要告訴他這不是他的錯(cuò)，而是公司的錯(cuò)，只是你已經(jīng)竭盡全力想要減少裁員了。

    Lucas女士說(shuō)，當(dāng)別人覺(jué)得裁員雖然是個(gè)困難的決定但卻是必須作的決定時(shí)，他們就會(huì)覺(jué)得舒服些。

    同時(shí)，要避免談及別的員工的情況，否則會(huì)讓員工質(zhì)疑公平問(wèn)題。不要主動(dòng)談及員工的表現(xiàn)，要圍繞主題：是公司的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況導(dǎo)致了裁員。

    你還要讓員工有時(shí)間反應(yīng)過(guò)來(lái)。有些人會(huì)非常生氣，大聲嚷嚷，也有些人會(huì)非常平靜，什么都不做。但你需要給他們時(shí)間反應(yīng)過(guò)來(lái)，讓他們知道發(fā)生了什么，也好提些問(wèn)題。

    一位舊金山的高管教練Leila Bulling Towne提醒道，還有一點(diǎn)要記住的是：要表現(xiàn)出同情和惋惜之情，不要假裝自己知道他們是怎么想的。“事實(shí)上，你并不知道他們的感受，因?yàn)槟銢](méi)有被裁員。假裝自己知道他們的感受只會(huì)讓事情變?cè)恪?rdquo;

    2、幫助他們繼續(xù)生活

    通過(guò)幫助被裁員工找到新的工作，自然可以減少他們的痛苦，特別是當(dāng)經(jīng)濟(jì)那么不景氣的時(shí)候。為這些員工提供一份求職列表，可以從職業(yè)咨詢(xún)專(zhuān)家或聯(lián)系其他愿在該行業(yè)招募員工的公司獲得這份列表。如果被裁員工有出色的表現(xiàn)，可以為他們寫(xiě)一封推薦信，或是委托熟人幫他們找到工作。

    時(shí)間也是需要著重考慮的因素。有些雇主喜歡在周五下午進(jìn)行裁員，心想這樣可以讓他們有幾天的休息時(shí)間。但Lucas女士推薦在周二或周三進(jìn)行裁員，這樣被裁員工可以立刻著手找新的工作，比如咨詢(xún)求職顧問(wèn)或聯(lián)系潛在的雇主。否則他們只能用一個(gè)周末的時(shí)間來(lái)回味裁員的苦果。

    3、允許離職過(guò)渡期

    一些公司擔(dān)心會(huì)遭到報(bào)復(fù)，就讓保安護(hù)送被裁員工立刻離開(kāi)公司。當(dāng)然，這樣的公司還是會(huì)給員工一小會(huì)的時(shí)間整理自己的雜物再離開(kāi)的。

    這種做法不僅對(duì)一個(gè)向來(lái)工作賣(mài)力的員工是一種莫大的侮辱，同時(shí)也會(huì)讓目睹這一切的在職員工心寒。除非有充足的理由證明員工會(huì)做些出格的事，還是應(yīng)該給他們一些時(shí)間，甚至是幾個(gè)星期的時(shí)間，來(lái)由他們自己告訴同事離職的消息，并為下一步作好打算。

    Restek Corp.的創(chuàng)始人Paul Silvis說(shuō)，他一年里裁員了60幾個(gè)員工，給了他們幾個(gè)月的時(shí)間來(lái)找新的工作。他為員工提供培訓(xùn)，竭盡所能地幫助他們找到工作。

    當(dāng)然，他必須相信每個(gè)員工會(huì)恪守本分，并和他們簽署一份協(xié)議，以保證他們不會(huì)泄露公司的機(jī)密。

    但是Silvis先生說(shuō)這些員工根本不像是被裁員，“我們要做到的事讓他們離開(kāi)得有尊嚴(yán)。”