Is a reduction in force (RIF) analogous to trimming your roses?

From a corporate point of view, is a reduction in force (RIF) analogous to trimming your roses?

I know it's a stretch for an analogy but following me for a bit and you might feel better.

Several companies have made recent announcements of scaling back their work force, via a RIF. To name a few they would include: mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson, IndyMac Bancorp, UnitedHealth Group Inc., General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Bank of America, Brunswick, Goodyear, Volvo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Washington Mutual, Air Canada of Montreal, The McClatchy Co., Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, Lehman Brothers, JPMorgan Chase, Merck, Sun Microsystems and Home Depot.

Which made me question, how does a company go about trimming it's work force and what if they trim too much?

Which reminded me about my roses. I have about 16 rose bushes in my yard. If you have roses you know you need to dead-head the bushes after the bloom is gone. (Some info here on how to prune roses.) It had been a few months since I've dead-headed the rose bushes in my yard. It was time.

When dead-heading your roses it is important to use clean sharp tool to do the trimming. It's also important to make your cuts at a 45-degree angle and per my rose-trimming coach (my husband) to trim above a 3 or 5 leaf.

Which made me think about the recent RIFs. There are big government rules that companies must adhere to when performing RIFs but do companies use sharp tools to preform their cuts? or do they use dull tools that cause cracks within the organization? If they miss a few dead-heads, does the company thrive? or does the surviving dead-head effect the moral of the other employees? Do they trim the whole company (or bush) or just in a few departments or regions? If a company cuts too much, will it recover and grow again? Are companies forced to cut the most beautiful rose (high performing departments or employees) for balance? If I trim my rose bushes too much, will they recover?

From time to time companies over-grow in regions, or have too many products and service offerings for their customers. It makes good sense to prune from time-to-time but why not dead-head (trim the non-performers) on regular intervals? Or is it easier to cut back the whole bush?

For the those suffering from RIF survivor guilt, try trimming a few rose bushes, it will make you feel better. And while you're trimming, know that the next time you see your former co-workers they will be thinner, better looking and more relaxed. And have REALLY cool jobs. And while you're trimming your roses, don't forget to smell a few too.