Breaking bad news is part of HR people's job

In this organization, assessment is "a way of life" to get ahead, to differentiate your position and salary and other things men (and women too) are after from others. If you pass the assessment, whatever it is, you feel as if at the top of the world. With it comes all good things such as appointment to the higher positions and promotions.
Today is a busy day for me. The task is to communicate assessment results for four of our direct hire contract staff. They have attended three stages of assessment before they can qualify for permanent employment. The first one is a written test to check their profile. The second is software literacy (SL) test to check their IT skill. The last one is the competency-based interview (CBI). Since this organization is technology-enabled business, SL is very important. It carries higher weightage, almost one half from the total three. I was informed SL is not easy. You are required to draw various types of charts based on the given data on the spreadsheet software.
The candidates were 2 young ladies in the early 30’s and 2 old men nearing 50’s. The first 2 made it, but not the latter 2, one of them was an ex-company driver now doing general admin. He flunked badly, very badly rather, in SL test and screwed up with the CBI. What do you expect from a hard-core driver in term of IT knowledge - writing 1-2-3 macros and creating databases? He was engaged to sit behind the wheel and not to sit in the front of the PC. He was fit for the original work he was assigned. Things changed. The organization outsourced drivers function and he found himself doing things other than ‘driving’.
Just like me, he has to acquire a new skillset to survive in the corporate jungle. I felt pity to him. He was a bread winner in the family of 5. The wife was doing odd works - washing, sewing and taking care of neighbor’s small kids. Sometimes I wish this is my company or my parent’s company where I can offer him work despite his failure in the assessment.
I had no problem breaking good news to the ladies.
I had a big problems with these breadwinners. They looked hopeful and innocent.
I had no choice but to immediately gave him 2 months notice of termination plus some monetary compensation. I knew he had small kids, but I had job to do. He cried in front of me, begging. Yes, a 50 years old man was in tears, sobbing. I never saw that. Had I been an IT Manager, I would not have been in this scenario!