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In Face Of the Layoff
面對裁員
During this period of corporate layoffs and reorganizing in this financial crisis, employers and employees must respect that there is a natural grieving period-a mourning for the way things used to be. Friendships may be severed, and there is day-to-day uncertainty about the future. An employer's psychological and emotional response does make a difference to the bottom line.
在如今這個金融危機時期，許多公司紛紛裁員或重組。雇主和雇員都必須意識到現在會是一個難免感到傷感的時期——為這種在經濟困難時期公司常用的方式感到悲傷。友情也開始遭遇危機，還包括對未來每一天的不確定性的擔憂。雇主生理和心理上對危機的承受能力的不同決定著裁員底線的差異。
Companies use terms such as transformation or reconstruction when terminating people. While it is dehumanizing to be terminated，it is not the same as being fired. Being fired implies that the employee has failed the company or done something against policy. People today are being terminated because their jobs are being eliminated.
公司在裁員時通常會使用“轉型”或“重組”之類的措詞。但是這種解雇方式是非常不人性化的，并且不同于解雇。一般來說，被解雇說明雇員讓公司失望或是做了一些違反公司紀律的事。如今，雇員被裁卻是因為他們的工作崗位被撤銷了。
It is a difficult task at best when one department has thousands of people to terminate within a few days, not months. HR is usually understaffed and may be seen as unimportant. But the current crisis has put a new emotional load on this department, much like that on the floor traders at the New York Stock Exchange.
一個部門需要在幾天內而不是幾個月內裁減掉幾千名員工，這的確是一項比較困難的任務。人力資源部經常人手不足且不受重視。然而，這次的金融危機卻讓人力資源部背上了新的情感包袱，如同紐約證券交易大廳里的交易員一樣。
In recent days, we have seen men with heads in their hands, tears in their eyes, and reports of some traders literally collapsing from fatigue amid the hectic trading. We are getting reports from HR departments that their employees are suffering from fatigue, depression, and uncertainty regarding even their own employment.
最近，我們看到很多人痛苦地雙手抱頭、雙眼濕潤、并且處理交易中一些交易員因疲勞而崩潰的新聞也不絕于耳。我們也正從人力資源部的報告中得知他們的雇員正在遭受著疲勞、沮喪、甚至是自身的職業的不確定所帶來的折磨。
It is their job to make the termination paperwork correct, have it prepared and ready for the day when management needs it. When there are a few terminations at a time, no sweat, but in today's situation some companies have needed to lay off more than 6,000 in a week. And they understand the numbers-fewer employees mean fewer HR staff will be needed.
做出正確的裁員報告書是人力資源部的分內之事，準備好這些文件以備管理層隨時需要用到它們。當一次只裁退幾個雇員時，對他們來說幾乎不用耗費多大精力，然而現狀是一些公司甚至需要在一個星期內裁員6000人以上。他們了解這些數字的意義，更少的雇員也意味著需要更少的人力資源員工。
Understandably, businesses must find ways to cut expenses without cutting services where possible. That often means terminating employees or selling or canceling leases on buildings no longer needed. There is a corporate manager recalls seeing on the local news her company’s name removed from buildings and people leaving the premises to face unemployment. Depression quickly overcame her entire division.
可以理解的是，企業必須找到方法以盡可能減少花費，同時不能影響到服務質量。這通常意味著企業不再需要進行裁員.推銷或是從辦公大樓里退租。有一個公司經理回憶她在當地的報紙上看到自己公司的名字被移除出辦公大樓名單，離開公司的人面臨著失業。蕭條的氣氛立馬充斥著他們整個部門。
Employers that are preparing to lose more than half of their staff at one time are finding it prudent for a team of managers to take on the role of exit interviewer. The idea is to have communication and let the employee know that he or she is still a person of worth.
當雇主們打算一次性裁減半數以上員工時，他們發現必須謹慎挑選一些經理擔任離職面談者。這是為了讓這些經理同被解雇的員工進行溝通交流，并讓那些雇員知道他們仍然是有價值的人。
Employees grappling with layoffs don’t just feel guilty for having survived the latest round of cuts. They're also telling their colleagues and loved ones, "I don’t know how to react anymore." Keeping up morale is a challenge that goes beyond HR, as everyone, from the CEO on down, is made to withstand varying levels of pressure and different challenges.
員工在同裁員行動相抗爭的時候，不會因為最后留下來而感到內疚。他們也經常告訴自己的同事和所愛的人，“我再也不知道該如何作出反應了。”保持士氣，不論是對CEO，還是對公司上下的任何一個人來說都是艱難的任務，這個目標超過了人力資源管理的范圍，這要求每個人能夠承受各種不同的壓力及挑戰。
With each round of terminations, many employees go through bouts of depression on the job and away from it. Families are facing severe challenges paying for the necessities of day-to-day life. We know from health experts that these emotional ups and downs can create physical and mental imbalances. The bottom line: increased health issues and insurance claims.
經歷了一輪輪的裁員，許多雇員都是屢敗屢戰。許多家庭為了每日生活的需要，正面臨艱難挑戰。健康專家表示這種情緒的起伏可以導致生理和心理的失衡。底線則是：不斷增加的健康問題和保險索賠。
One hopes entrepreneurial inspiration will eventually lead us out of this mess, and that in the meantime, we will offer each other a hand of friendship, both between employer and employee and neighbor to neighbor.
有人希望企業家的靈感能夠最終帶我們走出這種混亂局面，同時我們能互相友愛，不管是雇員和雇主還是鄰里之間。
In these tough times, ascribing blame or feeling guilt doesn’t solve problems, and the caring you extend may make all the difference to yourself and others.
在這艱難時刻，追究責任或是感到內疚并不能解決問題，你對更多人的關心可能對你和這些被關心的人都很重要。
