"A rose by any other name ..."

Today was a day when a number of people at my work location were "let go" due to the company needing to get smaller. Unfortunately this has happened too often in the last 15 years. It has almost gotten to the point where it has lost it's sting (unless you are one of the unfortunate people impacted).

Over the years my company has renamed this exercise of firing groups of people. Here are some of the terms that I can remember (I am sure I have forgotten others):

1) Layoffs - This is the first term that I can remember being used during one of these exercises. The term must have been too well known for it changed soon after this.

2) Downsizing - This term started the trend in getting more focused on the company and less on the impacted people

3) Rightsizing - It didn't take long for the HR people to decide that downsizing wasn't a good term so they changed to this alternative. The funny thing is that I never heard this term used during a round of hiring so it was pretty clear to everyone what "rightsizing" the company actually meant.

4) Force Management Program (FMP) - This term has been used quite a lot in my company and it didn't take long for it to yield the new verb "FMPed" which applies to anyone impacted by this exercise.

5) Reduction In Force (RIF) - This is the most recent term that I have heard for our layoffs. It is actually a much more honest term than the last couple and is easily understood.

Note that all of these are terms used on the US side of my company. A number of years ago I heard the term that was being used in the UK - "Made Redundant" which I have always found very interesting. The meaning is clear enough when you think about it but initially I had no idea what they were talking about. It almost sounds like a science fiction plot where someone secretly made a clone of you while you were sleeping and now you are without a job as you have been "made redundant"...

In the end, it really doesn't matter what you call the "layoffs". The news is bad when you lose your job. Every time we have a round of this at my company there are rumors flying around about how large it is going to be - "5%"? "10%"? "40%"? People in the company feel "good" when they hear that the number is smaller but the reality is that the number is really 0% (those retained) or 100% (those let go) for each person no matter what happens to everyone else. It isn't much consolation to someone who is let go to hear that they were one of a smaller number of people impacted.

Good luck to all the people who lost their jobs today. I will be praying that God opens new doors for you for even better opportunities and challenges in your life.