We Will Rock You

Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise

Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday

You got mud on your face, you big disgrace

Kicking your can all over the place, singin'

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

Buddy, you're a young man, hard man

Shouting in the street, gonna take on the world someday

You got blood on your face, you big disgrace

Waving your banner all over the place

We will, we will rock you, sing it!

We will, we will rock you

Buddy, you're an old man, poor man

Pleading with your eyes, gonna make you some peace someday

You got mud on your face, big disgrace

Somebody better put you back into your place

We will, we will rock you, sing it

We will, we will rock you, everybody

We will, we will rock you, hmm

We will, we will rock you

Alright

We Will Rock You – Queen. 1977.

Friday, October 9, 1981. Orange, California. 6:45 PM.

It’s Senior Night at Newport Christian High School’s football game. We are ready to be recognized before the game and our dads, if we have one, are wearing our away jerseys and prepared to meet us at mid-field.

The head football coach, Joe Cupp tells me I’ll be the one leading the team onto the field tonight. It’s a very special honor, one I’ve been dreaming about.

We’re playing Heritage Christian High School tonight. It’s the first of our league games. Heritage should be an easy win. Additionally, the junior varsity team is suiting up with us so now we’ll be hitting the field with a massive team, in the friendly confines of the Chapman University football stadium. Ironically, 15 years from now, I’ll be walking onto this same field to receive my MA degree in Organizational Leadership.

As we walk out of the tunnel, I hear the clattering of our cleats against the concrete and the cheering of the fans in the stadium.  I feel myself swelling up with pride and adrenaline. It’s a good night to kick some ass. We’re all bragging about how we’ll wipe the field with Heritage.

A couple of hours later, we’re sitting in the locker room in stunned silence. Heritage beat us handily. I had one of the worst games I’ve ever played. What started out looking like a glorious beat-down leaves us all deflated. There is no more pride or braggadocio. We would go on to lose the remainder of our games that season and miss the playoffs.

We Will Rock You is a favorite stadium anthem. The crowds clap and stomp their feet in unison making it very loud and unfriendly to the opposing team. It works so long as you can win. But when you are losing, it’s a bit of an embarrassment.

I’ve been around long enough to see workplace trends come and go. In 2008, I did quite a bit of outplacement work, assisting recently laid off employees in preparing resumes and interviewing for jobs. It was a very dark time. First, no employer should EVER bring in a hired gun like me to do the dirty work of giving layoff notifications. Secondly, employers gave notice in some of the most chicken-shit of ways. In one example, employees came into their office only to find a big white shipping box on their desk. That was the clue they were terminated. In other cases, employees tried to log into their computers only to find their passwords didn’t work. A call down to IT revealed the passwords didn’t work because they were no longer employed there. Finally, when job seekers attempted to find new jobs, they were ignored by hiring managers, never given any sort of update on the progress, and when hired, were offered lower salaries.

That experience left not only the affected a bit jaded, but also their family members.

Now, 12 years later however, the roles have been reversed. We are in an employee’s market. Which has led job seekers to “ghost” employers or quit shortly after being hired. The Great Recession has now become the Great Resignation. Workers are calling the shots. They hold employers hostage over remote work and other policies. Revenge seems to be the underlying motive. Treat me bad and I’ll return the favor. Or I’ll just quiet quit.  We will, we will rock you!

And now, the climate is about to shift again. All signs point to a possible recession, which will probably mean employers will stop hiring and start layoffs. And if they’re not careful, employers will fan the flames of this phenomenon once again.

No more remote work.

No more jumping through hoops to find and hire employees.

No more perks and other incentives.

We will, we will rock you!

Keeping in mind how embarrassing it is to taunt someone only to find yourself at their mercy, why not right now, make the commitment to handle this next phase of work differently? If you must let people go, communicate with them early and through every step of the process. Treat them with compassion and dignity. Help in resume review and job placement. Even though you may forget, a shamed and embarrassed laid-off worker won’t. Ever.

History repeats itself. Don’t let mistakes in this next major shift repeat themselves.