Euphemisms

A number of months ago I had my kitchen renovated and a couple of weeks into the project, the designer, “went on leave”. I later found out she would certainly not be coming back. The same company lost its receptionist recently and when I called to follow up on a problem I requested be fixed, I was told she “retired”. Sure! Judging from the dealings we had with this company I am pretty sure that is simply a euphemism for, “she quit”. In fact, I’m surprised she lasted as long as she did!

Geeze! It reminds me of a company I used to work for. Whenever someone got fired an obscure email would circulate saying that person was no longer with the company. It always felt a little weird. Now, I know they can’t very well divulge the details of an employee’s departure, but there is always something a little curious/ominous about the use of euphemisms. Who do they think they are fooling, anyway?