What is the "Jewish" way to layoff employees?

The Vicious Babushka ^ | Feb. 28, 2009 | Alouette

[Alouette]

What's the "Jewish Way" to "Lay People Off"?

From the "Ethical Activist" who deprived of thousands of their livelihoods

By Nathaniel Popper

Behind the headlines about the massive layoffs sweeping the Jewish world are experiences like that of Rochelle Mancini.

Mancini worked at the American Jewish Congress for 23 years until December, when her employer learned that it had lost much of its endowment in the alleged Ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff.

A few weeks later — just a day before New Year’s Eve — Mancini was called in late in the day and told the next day would be her last. To add to the trauma, Mancini was told that if she wanted her health coverage to continue beyond the next day, she would have to write a check immediately.

Mancini had sympathy for her organization’s unusual financial straits — more than half of the AJCongress’s employees had to be let go — but Mancini said she believes that there were simple ways to have handled her situation better, particularly at an organization that bills itself as a voice for Jewish values. “Had I had two more days of advanced notice, I could have saved hundreds of dollars on health care,” Mancini told the Forward. “Those kinds of things, when you are unemployed — they matter.”

Mancini’s experience starkly lays out a question being confronted by organizations across the country: What is the right way to fire someone?

[Wilhelm Tell]

A little off topic, but I wonder how much stolen money Madoff gave to the Obama campaign. You know in the unlikely event he gave one cent to Republicans, there would news stories about that every day, along with demands to investigate the RNC. Since I have not run across any news stories about Madoff’s political contributions, I assume the media are covering up the fact he gave to Democrats.

[MeanWestTexan]

“What is the Jewish way to lay off employees?”

Being an employer in the oil field, I've done this in tune with the price of oil and gas, which means I've done this a lot. In fact, I did it today, as my 15 working rigs have dwindled to 5 (for now).

This morning, at 5:00, I met the guys for 10 rigs. About 75 tough guys, more or less. I passed out checks for the end of February, and an extra check for half a month.

I said, “Boys, Obama has declared war on entrepreneurs, and the oil and gas business in particular, so there are no wells being drilled. The guys who are willing to put it on the line drilling a well won't take the risk with Obama’s tax plan to take all the money. You have an extra check for a half-month's pay in your envelope, even you guys that are brand new. I thank you for your hard work, and let's hope we get someone who won't be so cruel to hard workers in the White House. In the meantime, be careful.”

Then I went and talked with everyone, and they shook my hand. Some of the tough guys cried. They know the way it works -— drilling wells is risky business, and no one is going to take that kind of risk (and do that kind of hard, dangerous work) without big rewards.

The old ones joked about Jimmy Carter and how he did the same thing.