Handling layoffs with courtesy

A friend of mine had been down in the dumps recently and when asked why so glum, he revealed that his company had just informed him that they're letting him go.

Sure, my friend - a very talented web designer - is one of thousands who are in the same boat; however, what's unusual about his situation is that his company - a Japanese-based website - gave him 4 weeks notice.

Yes, rather than just make him redundant on the spot and tell him to pack up his things, they instead are giving him the chance to find other work before officially terminating him. While there's no guarantee my friend will find another staff job right away, at least he has a bit of time to look around. And knowing that his time is "running out", this at least gives him the impetus to search out a new gig and lessens the sting of being let go straightaway.

Will knowing he's being fired interfere with his job performance these next few weeks? Will he take on an "I don't care" attitude because he'll soon be out the door? Knowing my friend's work ethic, I highly doubt it; not to mention that he'll probably need his current company as a reference in the future.

Still, his situation is quite unique and can probably serve as a model for proper etiquette when communicating bad news to staff. If employees have to give 2 weeks notice to their bosses before leaving the company, why shouldn't managers give their staff ample notice that they'll be letting them go? Of course that rarely happens but after hearing about my friend's situation, perhaps there's hope for companies yet.

-Kelly