'Tell me how you provide value to the organization': CEO confronts employees in the elevator as layoffs approach

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 16, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

Having a conversation with your CEO is not necessarily easy, especially if he's asking you to defend your presence at the company during an elevator ride. It's not the kind of conversation that inspires confidence, loyalty, or a morale boost. But that doesn't seem to be this CEO's methodology, as he seems to enjoy terrorizing the underlings who are anxious about upcoming layoffs.

 

This Redditor has tried to explain that despite being fully aware that this is a toxic work environment, they are living in a small town with minimal quality job opportunities so it's not like there is a plethora of options at their disposal. Unfortunately, they're left feeling like they need to beg and grovel in order to stay at the company, and their CEO is loving every minute of this. It's a pretty ruthless way to lead, and as some folks explained in the comments section below, leaders should feel like they have done a poor job when the company is on the brink of layoffs. However, some people seem to live off the fear and trepidation of others. 

 

If you were in this situation where you were tasked with giving a literal "elevator pitch" about why you deserved to stay at your company, how would you go about it? Would you attempt to give a genuine response? Would you quit then and there? Or would you turn the tables around and ask your boss to explain why they should remain as CEO?

 

For more stories like this, here is one about a boss who unfairly announced an employee's departure. 

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  • 01
    Font - ALLACIDENTS ON OR DAMAGE DEPARTMENT OF CON OR AFTER WORKING HOURS 20 "CEO asks employees in the elevator why the company should retain them!" NING A OKING EVEGHY 200000 90800 USED ONL IPPUSIL
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  • 02
    Font - CEO asks employees in the elevator why the company should retain them! The CEO at my employer is an odd man who scares everyone to death. Being in the elevator with him can be the end of their career if they don't say the right thing.
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  • 03
    Font - Layoffs are coming and he is trying to determine in a very unprofessional way who should be laid off. He will approach staff members and demand that they justify their existence in the company. He basically says this: "The company is cutting staff soon and I am fact finding who is actually valuable to the organization. Tell me how you provide value to the organization and why we should retain you in the company."
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  • 04
    Font - Would you, could you convince your CEO you should be retained during company wide layoffs? (I live and work in a very small town with few employers and lack of good jobs, so we are desperate to keep working. )
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  • 05
    Font - Redd_October 2 11 hr. ago & 4 More "Pop the hood of your car, dig down in there, and remove a random gear or wire that you find. You may not know what it's purpose was, the car may even run normally, for a while. But sooner or later you'll discover that that random, seemingly unimportant component did something. Your car is broken, and it was foolish to think that shedding weight by just picking some part at random would ever work. Everything was added for a reason, if you want to shed we
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  • 06
    Font - Child Of1970 9 hr. ago For now working to live, nev... That sounds very much like something a student of systems thinking or business architecture would say. Not a lot of people think that way but it is absolutely right. 1.6k Reply Share
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  • 07
    Rectangle - ongnoi 11 hr. ago "Great question! I'm so underpaid that by being here I have already added value." 5.4k Reply Share
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  • 08
    Font - the_friendly_dildo 7 hr. ago "I'm practically paying you to be here sir!" 1.5k Reply Share
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  • 09
    Font - BikeCookie 7 hr. ago UNO REVERSE: Ask the CEO to justify their job since the company is tanking. 1.9k Reply
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  • 10
    Font - Child Of1970. 11 hr. ago For now working to live, n... Yeah, I would already be looking elsewhere so would be tempted to say, "If you don't know what roles add value to the company it sounds like you don't add any value and are not doing your job correctly. Maybe that is why we now need layoffs." 2.5k Reply Share
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  • 11
    Rectangle - zurzoth 10 hr. ago Maybe that what OP should answer the CEO... With a straight face. 515 Reply Share
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  • 12
    Font - Loring 11 hr. ago Ask why if he is an effective CEO are they laying people off and then go let the air out of his tires. 4711 711 Reply Share
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  • 13
    Rectangle - Friendly BigBanana. 12 hr. ago Maybe take the stairs from now on? 4 570 Reply Share
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  • 14
    Gesture - Baldrick2187. 11 hr. ago "If you don't know that, why are you the CEO?" ↑ 374 ↓ Reply Share
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  • 15
    Font - Malaeveolent_Bunny. 11 hr. ago "What a coincidence, I was just about to ask you the same question, your compensation is way out of line with the work you produce" Realistically, you want to imply you have blackmail material to reveal how he's embezzling. Because if the town you work in is economically starving, you can bet a year's pay that he is in fact embezzling. This CEO is looking for reasons to cut you out, they aren't listening to reason or value. He's a thief looking to take your
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  • 16
    Font - GreenLurka 11 hr. ago I'll answer your question with another question, is it the best use of your time to be standing in an elevator interrogating random employees about their worth to the company when you don't know their name or role? How much money are you burning in the companies bank account to be wasting your time and mine with this stunt? 257 Reply Share
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  • 17
    Font - gimmethelulz 10 hr. ago I remember going to a talk where the CEO of Patagonia was being interviewed. Somehow the topic of layoffs came up and she said, "If I'm at the point that I'm considering layoffs, I haven't done my job as CEO." Sounds like your CEO isn't doing his job. 234 Reply Share
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  • 18
    Font - FeistySpeaker 10 hr. ago What I'd want to say: "Because I'm willing to tell you that what you're doing is rude and to remind you that professionalism would dictate that such discussions happen, at most, with one or more HR representatives as witnesses. Not just whoever happens to be in the elevator."
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  • 19
    Font - What I'd actually say: "That's a great question. How about we schedule some time Monday and I'll show you a full breakdown of my duties and how they align to company goals?"
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  • 20
    Font - Then I'd probably spend the weekend working my ass off to put a presentation together. Assuming that I didn't just pack up my stuff and move elsewhere, because this guy sounds like an absolute POS. 169 Reply Share
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workplace-stories work stories elevator toxic-workplace job work coworkers ceo toxic-boss Office Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit toxic-work-environment
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