agustina prigoshin

As I become more engulfed in tech and social media, I can’t help but get angry when I hear of the lazy means of communication some people utilize when breaking news to others. For example, the company that fired half their staff via a blog post or the bank that informed its clients that their home was being foreclosed via a Facebook message.

Both my examples that follow revolve around text messaging, but it’s still being used as an excuse to avoid what can be a very uncomfortable situation. Regardless, man up and face it!

I remember an ex boyfriend who texted me once with “I regret to inform you this way, but it’s over.” When I called him, he didn’t answer. He finally called me back and I asked to see him, so we can end things like adults, face to face and with dignity. He denied it and claimed there was no point. I was so angry with his cowardliness. Needless to say, he tried to get me back about a month later… via a text message. How. Romantic.

My all-time favorite example of using a text message to avoid confrontation was a boss who fired me, after I quit, via a text message. Not long ago, I worked for a company where I absolutely loved what I did. I loved my boss, my co-worker and my clients. However, I didn’t like the way my boss ran her business and how her nosy husband involved himself in matters where he didn’t belong. I kindly expressed my discomfort with both situations and was answered with a simple, “this is how we do business.” And from then on out, I started getting attitudes from both my boss and her husband. I refuse to work anywhere I’m unhappy so I sat my boss down, alone, and gave her my two weeks’ notice. She never bothered to ask me why I was leaving the company (I believe if your employee is walking out on you, you should ask why so you know what to do to keep your remaining employees. But that’s just me), so I went home that afternoon, sad that I wouldn’t be working there any longer, but believing it was the right choice. When I woke up the next morning to go to work, I had two text messages waiting be read. They were from my boss and sent at 7 a.m.: “After careful consideration, we have decided that there is not enough work for you to do and, therefore, don’t need to complete your remaining two weeks.” I was livid and insulted. I took the time and effort to sit with her, face to face and told her my decision, I expected the same respect. Especially from a professional and someone mature enough to run a business. I was shocked at how cowardly she handled the situation.

I completely agree that it’s easier to break bad news via text messages, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc., but what’s the point? If distance is an issue, at least do it through video chat. Look the person in the eyes and tell them what you want to say. It’ll have greater impact and it shows respect. If I’m upset, I prefer the person see me cry and if I’m angry, I prefer they see me furious. It shows you’re human, not a machine.

My concern is that as technology and social media continue to evolve, verbal and even face-to-face communication will continue to diminish.