THE SCENARIO
You have a low-level management job and have been sworn to secrecy about coming layoffs in your division. Now, you're having a hard time looking some of your staff in the eye. How do you keep this information bottled up and still be able to live with yourself?
THE ADVICE
It sounds like you are having a stressful time containing this information. This is normal, especially when you have never dealt with a situation like this before. There are a number of things you can do to manage this situation:
Do not tell any of your staff or other line staff in the organization about the impending layoffs, if you want to keep your position. You have been told this in confidence and upper management wants you to keep it that way. This is one of the requirements of being a manager.
Focus on your job and your responsibilities. Do not continually worry and feel guilty about the information you have. You did not make the decision to lay off the people. Remember to stay grounded and don't let your guilt run away with your thoughts.
Talk about it. Share with your boss or another senior management mentor your challenges with keeping the secret. Tell them how you are feeling. Ask them how they would deal with it or have dealt with similar situations in the past.
As with any other stressful scenario, try not to obsess about it. Talk to a close friend or your spouse. Step back from it. Distance yourself from it. Contain it. Exercise regularly. Get plenty of rest. Eat a balanced diet. Take a meditation or a yoga class. Keep a journal of your feelings and the things you are grateful for in your life and career.
If you are not able to manage the stress on your own, speak to a counsellor or career coach about your feelings and fears, as well as ways of managing the stress. Check to see if the company has an employee assistance program.
If, after all of this, you cannot manage the stress of keeping the secret, then you can considering taking a leave from your current position, or even start looking for another position.
Bruce Sandy is president of Pathfinder Coaching in Vancouver.