I worked somewhere that when people quit or were let go it was a BIG secret. Nobody was allowed to mention that they left, if you were caught discussing it you would get in trouble.

We'd be in meetings like, "where's Jeff? Will Jeff be joining?" and there would be awkward silences because nobody could tell them he would never be joining because he was gone.

All it did was create a ton of gossip and rumors. Not a great policy!

  > continuing to pay checks after terminations and they would deserve the loss of every last cent

“More commonly, people who had incurred the displeasure of the Party simply disappeared and were never heard of again. One never had the smallest clue as to what had happened to them.”