Practice Empathy

I say practice empathy, but I don’t think everyone agrees. Being courageous does not mean that you need to be unkind. The current situation, particularly for government employees, is challenging. Many have been laid off, and although I am not directly involved, I can’t help thinking about how it all started. Overspending played a significant role in the current state of affairs, and now people must suffer. Layoffs are not always because of overspending but overspending was clearly a factor in what is happening today in our country.

There are only two things in my work life that brought me intense sadness. One of those things was telling someone they no longer had a job due to a layoff. I had to do this many years ago when I worked for a different agency. That management team gave us a few months to decide how much money we needed to save. The goal was to avoid layoffs, if possible, but also plan on how to manage if layoffs were the only option. Two more months passed, and the day came when we were told to let people know. I remember I slept really poorly that night, knowing what I might have to do.

When the day came, my immediate supervisor sat with me, and we broke the bad news. I still remember their faces and their stories, a guy who at that moment disclosed that his wife was pregnant and on his health insurance. A woman who confessed that she had lied about her age and was well able to retire but wanted to work. And an employee who was really struggling and asked if we picked her because she was not good at her job.

In that moment, I remember thinking that I never wanted to do that again. I thought that management must have failed in some way to cause this kind of pain. I went on to have survivors’ guilt, why was I spared the loss of my job. I have heard those sentiments from other managers and those whose close work partners were laid off from their jobs and they were not.

However, I do support the goal to cut federal spending. I know that with that goal, sometimes layoffs are necessary in order to save the rest of the work and the employment of others. At KenCrest, we continue to advocate for the vital services and supports we provide and there are no intentions of taking such measures as layoffs.

As I watch our government lay people off, I pray for the folks who must bring them the news and those who must restart their work lives. I am dismayed and disappointed with the stories I have heard about people being emailed to clear their desks and leave in 30 minutes. I have heard the stories of people laid off who were almost immediately asked to come back. At that point the person was probably still too shocked, angry or upset and just wanted a break to heal. I have seen the notes on the internet of anger and frustration about how the person felt after years of good and faithful service.

You may wonder if I am just believing misinformation from the news. I wish I could disclose my sources of government employees who are experiencing these changes. But these individuals have also been told they cannot discuss what is happening without penalty, I don’t want to harm them in any way. But I do want us to hold a high standard for management.

I will tell you though, that there is a kinder way to take these actions. I would not want to have someone treat me that way. I wonder why this is ok with any of us. I think we also deserve some better information about the plan for when they are gone.
I would ask you to join me in good wishes for these folks, prayer if you choose. Each of these people have bills to pay, children, family, friends who rely on them. Each of them had a belief that their work was important. Each of them is our neighbor.