Business leaders have had to make tough workforce decisions as the pandemic has raged on. While no one wants to talk about layoffs and furloughs, at a certain point it must be done. While these will always be difficult conversations, there are right ways and wrong ways to have them. First, managers need to understand their employees’ baseline level of stress is much higher right now than usual. Being sensitive to this can go a long way in having these conversations in a humane, compassionate way versus coming across as being cruel. It can help to give the employees a sense of control. Depending on how flexible the company can be, allowing them to work out a departure plan that works for them can be helpful. This sense of control can also come from clear, direct, and transparent communication. No one wants to be left in limbo, even if that might seem like the kind thing to do at the time. Tell people the information as it’s known, and don't be afraid to say, “I don't know.” “There's research that shows people accept negative outcomes much more easily if it’s shown that was a fair procedure used,” David Rock, CEO of leadership development company the NeuroLeadership Institute, said. “Mainly it's about bringing people back from being extremely upset to just upset.”