New Yawkahs are a resilient bunch; very few things are a cause to stop and pause.

This article about a new job layoff reality show on Fox stopped me cold. Not much can – not the bad behaviors of recruiters and hiring manager, not the incredibly dumb things job seekers do to puncture their feet.

But a reality show “…where companies must decide whether to fire an employee” is off the charts, bat-shit crazy.

It’s hard enough that jobseekers have to be told that if they’re unemployed then they shouldn’t considering applying; those who are deemed too old, are also met with a wall of hiring bias (and I’ll also strongly acknowledge the employment challenges of our younger generations).

Now we must ready ourselves for the reality show equivalent of a corporate Weakest Link-Biggest Loser where a “dysfunctional company will task employees with deciding whether to dismiss one of their own.” Yes – you read that correctly: We’re going to see HR 360 Live in Pink-Slip Technicolor with nary a hint of training.

Where Undercover Boss is all goodwill and puppy dogs, this ridiculous reality rumpus is, as one writer put it, just another step towards televised executions. Darn – forgot to tell you that the concept was originally pitched in 2009 and a pilot was filmed. Somehow the idea was mothballed but it’s clear that the moths are flying once again. Do we really need another reality show equivalent of stopping one’s car at the scene of a traffic accident to see if someone is hurt?

I can’t help but wonder if the head of HR for Fox’s parent company, News Corp, was consulted – or even told about the concept (I know him). Somehow I doubt it…

So I’ll leave you with a final question that I’m hoping some of you will answer:

Do you think the News Corp and Fox employment brands might be impacted by the show?

Rhetorically yours,

sml