With Economic Downturn Easing News Of Layoff Requires Common Sense

September 18, 2008 10:00 a.m. EST

Durham, NH (AHN) - With the economic downturn creating more job losses experts caution employers to use common sense when telling an employee they no longer have a job to avoid a bad reaction.

Paul Harvey, assistant professor of management at the University of New Hampshire says that managers should try to understand an employee's personality and watch people who tend to blame others when things go wrong in their lives.

"If you need to lay this type of person off, it's important to be very explicit about why they were chosen and why this was a logical decision. If it's because of economic reasons, be very clear that it's because of economic reasons. Otherwise the tendency to believe 'they're out to get me' often takes over," Harvey said in a statement.

Harvey said that people with this tendency were easy to identify because they never take responsibility for problems. He said that other characteristics are that they frequently seek scapegoats, and tend to be angry often.