I recently experienced a challenging situation at my company due to a restructuring initiative. As a manager, I was tasked with "managing out" high-salaried, long-tenured employees to help the company save on severance costs during layoffs. One of my direct reports, Susan, has been with the company for 20 years and has consistently delivered strong performance. I was encouraged to incentivize her to leave voluntarily, which I thought would also help me secure a promotion and a higher bonus. Initially, I tried to encourage Susan to quit by subtly pushing her out of projects and responsibilities, but she continued to excel and even received praise from other managers. After realizing that I might be risking a constructive dismissal lawsuit due to her documenting my actions, I shifted my approach to "freezing her out" by assigning her menial tasks and excluding her from meetings. Despite my efforts, Susan remained committed and continued to perform well. Eventually, the company laid off some lower-performing employees from other teams but spared Susan. To my surprise, I was recently promoted, and as part of the transition, I moved Susan to a different manager. While I initially felt conflicted about the situation, I now see it as a win-win: I achieved my promotion, and Susan still has her job under new management. It’s a relief to have navigated this complex scenario, but I can’t shake the feeling that the whole process was morally ambiguous.