Someone is losing their job unexpectedly. Nearly everyone spends too much of their income and saves too little for retirement/emergencies, so losing your job unexpectedly can have devastating financial consequences. Even bouncing back and finding another job could set your retirement back years if it doesn't happen quickly enough, and ruin your credit if you don't have appropriate savings.

I don't think there's a way to make it "more human." The opposite extreme of your scenario is bringing everyone (either on site, or everyone getting laid off) into a room and break the news in one shot. I've had coworkers who have been laid off in the "put everyone in a room" way. 60 people told at the same time their position had been eliminated, leave their badge at the door on the way out. That's not any less cold. I'd argue individually telling folks is better. It lets people have an emotional reaction if they need to, and not have to worry about the other dozens of people around them.

If you need to lay off many people at once, there is no good way to do it.

I believe it was staged by Teller, and he gives you enough context in his article to figure it out:

> "I wonder," he said, "how many Enoch Soameses will show up." At the time, I thought he was merely musing. Later I understood. He was giving me a homework assignment.

And then he closes the article:

> D. G. "Rosey" Rosenbaum didn't come to the Reading Room; he no longer corrects homework assignments. He was buried seven years ago, dressed in a smart charcoal suit, with a blood-red vest and his pince-nez, a rose in his lapel. The mourners said there was a sly smile on his face.

Teller's homework assignment was to stage Enoch's appearance and thus close the literary loop that Max Beerbohm left open. Teller's teacher was wondering how many other people would show up to do the same thing.

By closing his article by mentioning his teacher's death, Teller is letting us know that this performance was an homage to someone he greatly respected.