Latz: Don’t send bad news through text
A little over a month ago, I was in my apartment and about ready to go to my Sociology 1010 class. I was so excited because it was my last day of class for the week. Suddenly I heard my phone vibrate. I went to see who texted me, and it was my boss. I opened up the text message, assuming it was about covering someone’s shift, however, all I could see was a long text message. The first words I could see was, “This isn’t working out.” I just found out that I got demoted. What was even worse was the fact that not only did I get demoted, but I got the news over a text message. I was appalled.
This brings up the question: what is the best way to break bad news to someone? Think about it. How do you break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend, how do you tell someone that their loved one has passed away or how do you tell your employee that he or she has been demoted or even fired? For most Americans, it may be difficult to do it in person, so instead of saying the news in person, they do it over smartphones or social media. This is unacceptable. It is unprofessional and impersonal.
In our society today, most Americans are constantly on their smartphones, and tend to be not as social as Americans who do not use their smartphones on a daily basis. The Pacific Standard article, “The Most Popular Ways to Share Good and Bad Personal News,” by Paul Biscelio, stated that even though face-to-face communication has the higher percentage, compared to text messages and phone calls, social media is creeping in. About 30 percent of people share news over a text message, 25 percent over phone calls, 9 percent over Facebook, 5.5 percent emailing and 5 percent over instant messaging. In other words, around 74.5 percent of people are using either social media or smartphones to share good or bad news.
In my opinion, breaking bad news over social media is unacceptable for our society today. There are many reasons that people say bad news over smartphones and social media. For one, it is an easy way to get a hold of someone. When there is something you want to say right away to someone, you just pull out your smartphones and instantly get the message through. Another reason is that he or she is sending bad news over smartphones is because they are too cowardly to say it face-to-face, especially because of the reaction he or she will receive. No one likes to hear someone yelling at you after you break bad news. It’s uncomfortable and even hard to make the situation right, so instead, some people call or text the bad news, which in this case is rude.
I also think that it is very unprofessional to say bad news in a work environment. Back in the day, no one had smartphones and cellular devices, so employers would have to use email or have a face-to-face conversation with their employees. If they were to fire someone, they would call their employee to their office or work space. When I asked students their input about my situation, they were distraught and thought it was wrong to receive bad news through text message. I also asked some employers how they fire their employees and every one of them said that they prefer firing someone in person. Some employers give the news over email, though. None of them said anything about giving the news over text messaging.
Breaking bad news is hard for everyone, but it is unacceptable to do it through smartphones and social media. I believe if you say the news in person, it shows that you are respectful. The person receiving the message may get upset, but is it better to endure the reaction from the news rather than to have the other person fester over why it was sent via text.
In my situation, if I were my boss, I would contact my employee, whether be a phone call, a text message or an email and tell him or her that we need to meet in person. By breaking the news in person, it shows respect, courage and professionalism.
Olivia Latz is a second-year majoring in communication.
