I just read a message on a mailing list saying that some companies lay people off by bringing them to a conference room and showing a video that tells them they’ve been laid off. I had never heard of such a thing, but I can’t really imagine treating people more callously. If you’re going to give people their walking papers, you should at least tell them face to face. If you work at a company that does this (or were laid off in this fashion), please send email, I’m dying to know more.