> There's very little danger of it being too "rosy."
I disagree. Using too rosy a term for something that's very bad for the recipient might be perceived as disingenuous or just lacking balls to tell the unpleasant truth.
Agree. I worked at a biotech startup where our CFO had to fire an employee. He went in soft and the fired employee showed up the next day wondering why his fob wouldn't open the door. Theres no need to be cruel, but clarity is key.
