You’re at work and you accidentally overhear a conversation between your boss and his boss. You learn that they need to lay off one person in your division in order for the company to stay viable. They’ve got to decide between laying you off or laying off your teammate.
Your teammate is good – very good – and you are one of the few in the office that knows that he’s about to be a father for the first time.
Do you:
- Let your teammate know what you’ve heard?
- “Accidentally” let your boss know about the coming child, and remark about how work quality can decrease in proportion with lost sleep?
- Sabotage your teammates current project?
- Update your resume, contact a recruiter and/or your competitors in your industry to start your new role on a new team?
- Talk to your boss about taking a leave of absence while business is slow and work on your own freelance projects or take the vacation you’ve always wanted?
- Provide your boss with an alternative to layoffs altogether (your department takes a 5% cut in pay, but everyone gets to keep working)?
- Wait and see – let the best man win?
Though the economy is starting to stabilize, this question isn’t outlandish right now.
How would you handle it?