Work in the personnel department is not the most pleasant, because you have to make difficult decisions about colleagues with whom you have long established good relations. But there are situations in which this role is not so obvious and you can stay away. For example, if some sources in the department had secret information that they plan to dismiss a colleague. What to do in this situation? To tell him about it or not? The situation is ambiguous, and experts offer several points of view on this problem.
Difficulty position
Regardless of how the information was received, it poses a number of ethical problems to the acquaintance himself. For example, if he knows about his dismissal, it means that he is more likely to evaluate how much this news could be known to you - accordingly, there is a risk of disclosing the default on your part, which will certainly worsen relations. If he does not know about the dismissal, then there will be no such risk, although in this situation the further development of events may reveal all the secrets and it will become clear that everyone around knew and did not notify his colleague.
The question immediately arises: why not immediately after receiving information about the dismissal notify your friend? This removes a lot of problems in terms of guilty feelings before him. But here the very conditions on which the information was received will already play a role.
Privacy factor
The consequences of disclosing corporate secrets can be the most severe, up to the same dismissal - it depends on the internal regulations and the established ethical culture in the company. It is important to understand that information transmitted through confidential channels and not involving any disclosure should be kept secret in accordance with established rules. After all, this is not just a friendly secret in an informal relationship. This is a secret in the business sphere, which puts a completely different level of responsibility to employees.
A separate clause in the agreement with the rules relating to the prohibition on the disclosure and discussion of a certain kind of information with colleagues can also say more about this. In other words, good intentions in the form of a warning to colleagues about the upcoming dismissal can put the person himself in a similar situation.
Is the intervention helpful?
The motives for dismissal from the boss may be different - sometimes they are justified, and sometimes not. Could the decision of the authorities to dismiss be erroneous? Of course, but is there enough capacity and resources for an ordinary employee in a particular company to solve the situation with a better outcome with his participation? And is it really true that keeping a workplace with a colleague is the best option? Perhaps he was fired absolutely right from the point of view of the interests of the company, and then putting himself at risk of fines makes no sense. If there is confidence in the benefits of the intervention, then initially it will be useful to enlist the support of an experienced lawyer who can insure positions in case of aggravation of the situation.
Further colleagues support
If in a corporate environment the relationship between employees is limited by rules and regulations, then outside the office there are all opportunities to express their support to a dismissed colleague. It is important to convey to him that what happened is, perhaps, not so much a tragedy and a failure, but a new stage in life that opens up other career opportunities.It should always be borne in mind that any information about your company, said in an informal setting, can also play against you. The same employee can be restored to their previous jobs over time, but they will already know about possible critical reviews on your part, which creates additional risks.