The VP has found a position for you outside of operations, but at this point your boss and the VP will be out of work in two weeks. It is apparent that your boss is just learning of this situation from the lack of colour in his face. The senior executives are concerned that if the layoff is announced early, there will be widespread panic and that the company may lose key employees from operations or be exposed to sabotage.
The VP next indicates that this information is company confidential. If you tell anyone what you now know, you'll be terminated for cause. Likewise, the VP will be terminated for releasing the information to you. Your boss will probably be terminated as well. No severance, no transition assistance, no benefits, and no opportunity for finding another position within the company.
In effect, you are being asked to lie to your employees until the official announcement is made in two weeks. Both your boss and the VP ask what you will do, since your action may cost them dearly. Knowing your reputation and respecting you as an individual, they leave the next step up to you.
Your options
You can go up another level to one of the corporate executives. If you do, the VP will lose his job for divulging information to you that you were not authorised to have. You may be able to convince the executive that an open approach is preferable, but this has a low expectation of success.
You have an opportunity to begin your new position immediately. Your team will be told it was an emergency assignment to preserve a customer relationship. This has happened in the past, and so should eliminate any suspicion. The problem is that all members of your team have your home number and your policy has always been to be available if they needed to talk. You anticipate that at least some team members will either call you at home or look to find you on campus to discuss their concerns with job security. If you take the new position, you will be forced to lie to your employees.
You have two weeks' vacation available. If you take vacation, your team members will not call. This preserves the options for your boss and the VP, and eliminates the need to directly lie to your employees. What would you do?
7%
3%
