All the board members had inexplicable looks on their faces. If they came to fire those people
personally, they would probably turn against them and become enemies.
Their reaction wasn't far from what Jacob had imagined before he called this meeting.
"It's just a reduction of staff. They should have thought of this possibility when they first entered the
company. The risk of getting fired at work is always there. You're not to blame."
Jacob remained indifferent.
"But sir, we can't be at ease thinking that they would lose their source of income. I'm not the only one
who thinks this way. All of us do."
"That's right, sir. Do you really have to do it? The company can assign someone to terminate their
contracts. If we will be the ones to do that, we might be in trouble. Don't you think so?"
The board members still had a lot to say, but no one dared to speak up anymore. After all, it was
obvious that Jacob had already made up his mind, and no one could change it anymore.
It was useless to argue, but some board members still didn't want to give up on this matter.
"I know that this seems to be a little hard to do. But I know that you can do it. Once you've done it, it will
be counted in the annual performance. The company won't forget your sacrifices."
Surprisingly, Jacob looked so calm in this situation. Maybe it was because he had already thought this
over several times.
Nothing could change his mind. The only thing he had to worry about was how to carry it out.
Meanwhile, the board members still looked at Jacob with helpless eyes. How could he ask the directors
to do such a difficult thing?
"But Mr. Jacob..."
Some of the board members were itching to have a try again. They felt that there was still a turning
point in this matter. But Jacob sat there motionlessly, which made everyone lose confidence.
During the whole conversation, James only remained silent. Back then, if the company had any
announcement or anything that needed to be executed, it was James who always declared it.
But since Jacob thought that he should take responsibility for his own idea, he decided to declare it
himself in front of the board members.
It was a tricky matter. No matter who said it out, the person would nonetheless offend so many people.
Even so, Jacob knew he should be the one to do it, no matter how difficult it would be.
If he turned a blind eye every time there was a problem, it might put the company at stake. Therefore,
he would rather face the problem and get over with it as soon as possible for the sake of the company.
When he figured that the conversation was over, James lowered his head. At the same time, he
wondered why Jonathan behaved strangely today. Why didn't he object?
But on second thought, it was only understandable. After all, only a few people relied on him to enter
the company, and he didn't care much about such things.
The only thing he cared about was his ambition to become the CEO. When James thought of this, he
was relieved. "I know you are dissatisfied with this matter, but I hope you can think more about the
company. I know that there are no easier way to explain this, but I hope you can put the overall
situation first."
Glancing at the people in the room, Jacob refused to give in.
After all, if he decided to compromise, the meeting would be meaningless. In addition to that, all his
previous efforts would be in vain.
This was why Jacob had to be ruthless and be firm with the reason why he called for this meeting.
Everyone except Jacob lowered their heads in silence.
This was probably the hardest thing that they had to do at work. When they hired those people, they
were so grateful. Now that those people were going to lose their jobs, there would probably be a lot of
complaints.
The worst part was, not only the relatives of the directors would be affected, but also the old employees
of the company. Such a thing was simply unimaginable.
Making such a decision showed how cruel a company was. No, it showed how cruel the CEO was.
But then again, what Jacob did made sense. There were indeed many idlers in the company. They
were like parasites that would eat up the company sooner or later.
That was it, Jacob had already made up his mind. Not everyone might accept such a decision, but it did
not mean that he would not implement it.
"Don't worry too much. Just remember that everyone has to make contributions to the company." Jacob
stood up and looked at everyone with his bright eyes.
No one dared to speak up, because they all knew that it was pointless.
Whoever Jacob had to offend in this company, he must do such a thing. Facing such a result, many
people felt desperate.
"Mr. Jacob, have you made the list of staff to be terminated?"
Some people decided to ask for the last time. Maybe there was still hope before it came out. Even if it
was just a little hope, it was better than nothing.
Jacob didn't answer right away. After a short pause, he finally said, "Not yet. We're in discussion."
What he said made everyone speechless again.
They seemed to finally realize how serious Jacob was with his decision. And that no matter what they
did, there was no turning back.
"I will give you the list of employees to be dismissed as soon as possible, so please be prepared for it. I
hope that you all do your best to help the company get through these difficult times."
As much as Jacob wanted to smile, he couldn't.
Cindy, who had been writing down the minutes of the meeting, was also frightened. It seemed like from
this day forward, the company wouldn't be in peace. And nobody knew how long it would last.
But somehow, Cindy still felt at ease. Perhaps it was because Jacob remained calm that she felt the
same, or perhaps it was because she knew that he was capable enough to make the company surpass
this problem.
Maybe there were really people that, even by just talking, could make others feel so much better.
Meanwhile, Jacob thought that this issue was insignificant. In the future, he would most likely
remember these people, but he wouldn't regret the decision he had made.
"Since Mr. Jacob has made up his mind, we have nothing else to say. We believe that Mr. Jacob is
doing this for the company's good. We have benefited so much in the company. Now, it's time to do our
bit. This is life."
"Yes, we will do as Mr. Jacob said. So, please give us the list soon."
Two directors finally agreed, but the others still showed their disapproval. But Jacob wasn't bothered at
all.
For him, the meeting was a success as long as there were people who agreed, regardless of their
number. In fact, he even thought that no one would be on his side. After all, it was not an easy thing to
do, and many people were going to be affected.
Not only the directors might be in a misunderstanding with their families and friends, but also these
people would lose their source of income. Of course, Jacob knew this better than anyone else.
However, he had no other choice. If there was something else that he could do, why would he choose
to hurt so many people?
"If there is nothing else, you can all go now. I hope you all can keep it a secret for the time being. I'll
keep you informed about the list of employees you need to talk to."
Signaling that the meeting was over, Jacob knocked on the table.
When everyone was gone, James stood in front of Jacob to say something, but the latter waved his
hand to stop him.
"Go ahead with your work, Uncle. I want to be alone for a while." From the look on his face, the
meeting had drained Jacob's energy.
Before she could hear anything else, Cindy also left the room and closed the door gently.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda