The Dreaded One-on-One: When Corporate Communication Goes Wrong
Reading about someone’s experience with department-wide one-on-one meetings scheduled with HR present brought back memories that made my stomach churn. The scenario is painfully familiar to many in the corporate world: the carefully worded email, the mention of a “support person,” and that ominous phrase about “changes to the department.”
Let’s be honest - corporate communication around restructures and redundancies often feels like it’s designed to create maximum anxiety. The moment you see that calendar invite for a one-on-one with both HR and senior management, your mind starts racing. Having been through this dance myself during the tech downturn of the early 2000s, I know exactly how it feels.
The most frustrating part is the theatrics of it all. Why do companies insist on this cloak-and-dagger approach? The minute you schedule an entire department for individual meetings on the same day, everyone knows what’s coming. It’s like watching a predictable movie where you already know the ending, but you’re forced to sit through it anyway.
Recent discussions online about similar situations have highlighted how universal this experience is. Some people shared stories about surviving multiple rounds of restructures, while others pointed out how these meetings can go either way - sometimes it’s a complete department shutdown, other times it’s a reshuffling of roles.
The corporate playbook hasn’t changed much in twenty years. The same script gets rolled out: “changing business needs,” “organizational restructure,” “strategic realignment.” Meanwhile, employees are left googling their rights and trying to decode whether bringing home their favourite coffee mug might be a wise precaution.
Speaking from experience in the tech sector, these situations are especially common during economic downturns or when companies pivot their strategic direction. While it’s legally correct for companies to follow these processes, the human cost often seems forgotten in the corporate machinery.
For anyone facing this situation, here’s what I’ve learned over the years: document everything, don’t sign anything immediately, and start updating your LinkedIn profile. Taking notes during the meeting is crucial - your future self will thank you. And despite what some might suggest, having a support person can be valuable, if only to have a witness and someone to help remember details when your mind is racing.
The tech industry’s current volatility makes these scenarios more common than we’d like. Between AI disruption, economic uncertainties, and rapidly shifting market demands, many of us will likely face similar situations in the coming years. The key is to remember that it’s rarely about individual performance and almost always about broader business decisions.
Looking forward, perhaps it’s time for companies to rethink how they handle these situations. The current approach often feels like it’s designed more to protect the company than to support employees through a difficult transition. Surely in 2024, we can find better ways to manage organizational change that don’t involve creating unnecessary anxiety and stress for employees.
For now, though, if you see that calendar invite pop up, remember you’re not alone. The tech community is generally supportive during these times, and often, these endings lead to unexpected new beginnings. Keep your skills sharp, your network active, and remember that your worth isn’t defined by your current role or company.