For many employees, losing a job is one of the most difficult professional setbacks. But the experience can also weigh heavily on those delivering the decision. This reality was recently described by Mumbai-based corporate trainer and former founder Sampark Sachdeva, who recalled the day he was asked to terminate 25 employees, one after the other. He described it as the “darkest day” of his corporate career.
In a LinkedIn post that went viral, Sachdeva wrote about the emotionally draining process of telling staff, “Today is your last day.” He explained that managers were instructed to stay detached—no softening of words, no apologies, no expressions of sympathy. Instead, the procedure was mechanical: collect ID cards, retrieve laptops, and assure the employees that HR would follow up with formalities.
The first person he spoke to was a single mother. Sachdeva remembered how she broke down as the reality sank in. Behind every name on his list, he said, was a different personal struggle—an employee with a home loan, a father worried about his children, and a young professional who had moved cities for the job.
Breaking Down After the Task
Sachdeva shared that while executing the instructions, he kept his composure. But once the final conversation was over, he stepped out and cried at work for the first time in his career. He admitted that he did not feel like a leader that day, but instead like a “face delivering a system’s decision.” He recalled being haunted by the silence in the room and the tears of his colleagues long after the day ended.
He emphasised that corporate life often stresses resilience, but said it must also encourage compassion. According to him, leadership is not only about making decisions but also about living with their consequences.
Mixed reactions online
The post quickly gathered attention online. On LinkedIn, many professionals expressed empathy, saying the account highlighted the unseen weight leaders carry. Industry veterans such as Rama Shankar Pandey called it a very human reflection, while another professional, Ransom Joseph, noted how rarely such experiences are spoken about.
On Reddit, however, reactions were divided. Some users in the “LinkedIn Lunatics” community questioned whether the post was overly dramatic or performative, while others defended it as a much-needed reminder that behind every termination is a human story.
Sachdeva concluded that years later, he still remembers the faces of those he had to let go. For him, the experience remains a lasting lesson: corporate organisations may move on, but the emotional weight of such decisions stays.
In a LinkedIn post that went viral, Sachdeva wrote about the emotionally draining process of telling staff, “Today is your last day.” He explained that managers were instructed to stay detached—no softening of words, no apologies, no expressions of sympathy. Instead, the procedure was mechanical: collect ID cards, retrieve laptops, and assure the employees that HR would follow up with formalities.
The first person he spoke to was a single mother. Sachdeva remembered how she broke down as the reality sank in. Behind every name on his list, he said, was a different personal struggle—an employee with a home loan, a father worried about his children, and a young professional who had moved cities for the job.
Breaking Down After the Task
Sachdeva shared that while executing the instructions, he kept his composure. But once the final conversation was over, he stepped out and cried at work for the first time in his career. He admitted that he did not feel like a leader that day, but instead like a “face delivering a system’s decision.” He recalled being haunted by the silence in the room and the tears of his colleagues long after the day ended.
He emphasised that corporate life often stresses resilience, but said it must also encourage compassion. According to him, leadership is not only about making decisions but also about living with their consequences.
Mixed reactions online
The post quickly gathered attention online. On LinkedIn, many professionals expressed empathy, saying the account highlighted the unseen weight leaders carry. Industry veterans such as Rama Shankar Pandey called it a very human reflection, while another professional, Ransom Joseph, noted how rarely such experiences are spoken about.
On Reddit, however, reactions were divided. Some users in the “LinkedIn Lunatics” community questioned whether the post was overly dramatic or performative, while others defended it as a much-needed reminder that behind every termination is a human story.
Sachdeva concluded that years later, he still remembers the faces of those he had to let go. For him, the experience remains a lasting lesson: corporate organisations may move on, but the emotional weight of such decisions stays.
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