Being the boss is not easy. It does change your outlook.

While you are to be congratulated on your promotion, it's certain that you never bargained to be in this position. You don't have to like your job, but you do have to do it. While dismissing those who have been deemed redundant, you face the equally important task of rebuilding your relationship with those employees who remain. That may well the more difficult task. Nothing hurts employee morale and productivity more than seeing coworkers lose their jobs and, when there are wholesale cutbacks as you are experiencing, the effect on them may be devastating. They don't know when the next round of cuts is coming and if they will be a victim.

There are other factors to consider. The questions are: Was your company so grossly overstaffed that these large reductions will not affect performance? Will you be able to get the work done with the reduced staff? Will you be blamed for the resulting debacle if you can't? Will you be able to keep your job or will management decide it's time to cut the "hatchet man"?

When you lose a job, you never want to burn bridges. The single mother's comment was not appropriate even if understandable. I think it's important that you, as the boss, not burn any bridges with the departing workers. Your unspoken response to her may have been the best thing to do. Just consider that the day may come when you are seeking another job. The interviewer you face across the desk or your new boss may be one of the people you have fired.

You are learning valuable lessons at an early age. Make the experience work for you. Good luck.

You've raised one of the most difficult questions one can ask himself when presented with a similar situation but I think you handled the situation well. I often wonder how people with authority come up with the will to exercise their power when it affects so many lives and I wonder if I'll be able to do it if I were given the decision to make. Unfortunately my inexperience gives me no insight into myself. However, I'm inclined to accept that in most cases, there really isn't room for much emotion in business, especially if business is to be conducted efficiently. Not saying you must be an ass, but there is only so much you could do and while it's nice to express sympathy/empathy to those in desperation, there's sometimes nothing within your power to prevent it. Every person's gain is another's loss. When you hire someone, you're rejecting another applicant, when you give someone something, you are not giving it to someone else, that's the reality of a world of limited resources and the best you can hope for is that your difficult decision will be taken well and understood without a feeling of personal attachment. I suppose as an employee, it's to his or her benefit to understand that this decision making process is not an easy one and one that must be made. On the other hand as an employer, it may be your benefit to extend genuine care, in a professional manner of course, but without it leaving you with a lingering feeling of despair. As long as you can recognize the impact of your actions and handle the situation appropriately, there's no reason to beat yourself over it.

If you watch The Office, there was an episode in Season 1 where Michael contended for the entire duration of the episode on who to let go in the office. Ultimately he came to a decision but it was met with rebuttal by the person he layed off and he was kinda hurt by having to hurt someone else.

Your attachment to your humanity is a good thing, and I encourage you to seek more understanding of who you are and what you plan to do with yourself. However an unyielding grip can prevent you from achieving greater things. Hopefully you'll be able to come to a steady compromise.

Sounds like part of the movie "Air Up There" George Clooney

Sounds like your describing internal restructuring rather than a merger. The employee's in some manner would have been informed or notice the changes that will occur.

Yes, you are put in a difficult position to do a job you are asked to do. Now what happens after this restructuring ... just hope that you still have employment too. You have to anticipate the nature of whats happening the big picture. Being manager now bears all kinds of responsibilities. HR, Budgeting, Meetings, etc.

I've been laid off or my position been terminated .. the task I guess was unfortunate ... how they figured out why my job is to be terminated vs a newbie ... I guess its the company that has to re-examine itself but then again so do the employees or the former employees.

As you preface the impact of the recession ... its really a bad uncertainty war out there to find a job to be able to survive Here in the usa they say its five people going after a job on average, Well that's really a poor way to describe ... its really 20 to 100 people going after a job.

As for the movie ... I think you need to see it and decide for yourself - what the best means can you do or can offer ... at the same time ... doing the difficult task you're asked to do. The only difference is that your task isn't your entire job. There's more to your position I presume and I hope it is.

As for the people that were let go ... I guess some were in denial that this restructuring isn't happening ... some knew it would be happening ... some looked forward in collecting unemployment.

The recession changes everybody life - even yours as you noticed.

Our society in business and gov't shows no compassion nor care in handling the massive layoffs nor showing the real help ... or even assigning people temporary jobs until they can find a permanent job. The reality is that they don't do that. Its become an uncertainty period that destroys people lives.

You facing people thinking that they are not expendable - and - they finally realize they are expendable ... some will find a new job and some won't ... its harsh reality. It shakes up everyone.

I bid you good luck in the steps and growth in being in management. I just hope its not a dead end job just to perform a task ... you need to reassess your own situation. Be prepared in case maybe your position is eliminated because it wasn't a job but more of an enabler position for the companies restructuring.

Being the boss is not easy. It does change your outlook.

You don't have to like your job, but you do have to do it.

While dismissing those who have been deemed redundant, you face the equally important task of rebuilding your relationship with those employees who remain. That may well the more difficult task......

Will you be blamed for the resulting debacle if you can't? Will you be able to keep your job or will management decide it's time to cut the "hatchet man"?...

Just consider that the day may come when you are seeking another job.

The interviewer you face across the desk or your new boss may be one of the people you have fired.....

Evry word of Mike's comment is gold. I couldnt have say it better !

In my own experience, if you agree with it or not, there is always a frontier between the one who has to take the decisions and the one who has to obey.

The extremest example is to be found in the army. The high rank officer who send the soldiers to death from his command post and the sergeant who conduct the soldiers on the battlefield dont speak the same language.The best officers are they who are former sergeants, they speak and understand both languages.

BTW, I'm one of them