• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Blog
    • About
  • People Artistry
  • Resources
    • Model
    • ENGAGE: The Course
    • 10 Principles of Engagement
    • What Others are Saying about David
    • Clients
    • Books
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Employee Engagement / Disengaging Layoff Language: Your Squid is Cooked

Disengaging Layoff Language: Your Squid is Cooked

December 19, 2008 by David Zinger 10 Comments

Here are some euphemisms for how organizations have disengaged employees (read layoffs) from BusinessWeek:

  • synergy-related headcount
  • adjustment goal
  • actions to simplify our organization
  • offboarding
  • rationalizing
  • surplusing
  • de-verticalization
  • strategic review of strategies
  • in Hong Kong a term used is chao youyu “to have one’s squid cooked”
  • French managers contemplate un plan social

I think it would be better to use the term layoff or fired and for the organization to admit they failed their employees. Employee engagement will require honesty on the part of both the organization and employees.

Let’s start talking the real talk so we can begin walking the real walk towards full engagement for all.

Filed Under: Employee Engagement

Comments

  1. Steve Sherlock says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    Dave, we should add “reduction in force” or “rif’d” to the listing.

  2. David Zinger says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:04 pm

    Steve:
    I don’t think we “should” I think you just did! Thank you.
    David

  3. Ian McKenzie says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:39 pm

    When I forwarded this list to an office mate, the e-mail spell check wanted to correct offboarding to off-loading. Makes sense to me. 🙂

  4. Marsha Keeffer says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:42 pm

    I agree. Let’s dump the jargon and be clear. These are people who are losing their jobs – they deserve that respect. Thanks for the sanity check David!

  5. David Zinger says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Ian:
    There is just something so off-putting about offboarding or off-loading or whatever you want to call it. In Canada we use Off for mosquitoes not for people.
    David

  6. David Zinger says

    December 19, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    Marsha,
    You are right on…respect is the issue at hand here and these are people not human capital!!!!
    David

  7. Scot Herrick says

    December 19, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    This kind of corporate speak always begs this question: when will managers treat employees like adults?

    Just give the information straight-up the best you know how. Then I can make plans, changes and evaluate what is going on.

    The corporate speak requires learning a new language just to figure out what is going on in your own company. Wouldn’t it work better without the gobbledygook?

  8. David Zinger says

    December 19, 2008 at 9:11 pm

    Scot,
    It would be so good to know what is going on as best people can tell. And the best people do tell with respect and honesty.
    David

  9. Layoffgossip says

    December 29, 2008 at 3:19 am

    People always hate to talk about when they are laid off. But as it has become every day’s news headline since Yahoo started it with cutting 1500 of its task force last year, now a need of platform has been in demand where people can express their selves in words how they are feeling about their company, whey the got laid off was that justified or not.
    And every thing they want to tell anonymously.And http://www.layoffgossip.com is providing you that platform.

  10. JobOutlets says

    January 13, 2009 at 11:28 am

    I have a very close friend, who graduated from Harvard. Worked for ML for over 8 years, last year he’s laid off too. OMG, now the banking industry is badly hurt, how long it would take for those financial background like him get back to the job market. Banking jobs are not there as much as before as easily seen on http://www.joboutlets.com and other job sites in the region

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

David Zinger

Email: david@davidzinger.com
Phone 204 254 2130

Copyright © 2023 · Aspire Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in