The last couple of weeks have involved a sort of yin and yang of encounters regarding redundancy. In the process of researching this article about going it alone after being laid off, I ended up speaking to a number of people who'd emerged in a better place after the horrible experience of losing their job, and I did feel genuinely uplifted by the conversations.

It would be glib to imagine a joyful outcome for all the printing industry workers whose roles will be rendered redundant during this downturn, but hopefully at least for some people this negative event will result in a positive change for the better, whether that future is within this industry or outwith it.

Then came a bucket of cold water to dampen such vibes. By chance I bumped into a couple of acquaintances who work at a firm that has just been through a significant downsizing exercise. It involved a consultancy period during which a swathe of staff were informed their jobs were at risk. So far, so normal, but what astounded me was that the company in question seems to have carried out this review in a style guaranteed to alienate its employees.

Management appeared incapable of recognising the levels of stress generated when a person spends weeks wondering if they, or their mate down the corridor, will still have a job at the end of the process. This indifference was illustrated at the conclusion of the review, when everyone was informed they would know their fate by the coming Friday. Cue sighs of relief all round - whether the news was good or bad at least people would have the weekend to come to terms with it all. Then at the last minute the company flip-flopped and said the decisions would be delivered the following Monday instead, a move that understandably caused outrage among the affected workers. Such incompetence beggars belief. The end result of it all is that a great many vital staff have been left disillusioned, demotivated and with the impression they are working for fools. Will these people give of their very best, and go that extra mile in future? Somehow I doubt it.

A redundancy exercise is never a pleasant thing, but surely every effort should be made to ensure such actions are carried out with the utmost professionalism and clearest possible communication, not least for the future health of the business itself.