There’s also a practice of not firing people on Friday. A firing on Monday lets them regroup and start making immediate calls, visits to unemployment, etc. - staying productive before numbness and anger set in. Letting someone stew all weekend before they can do anything else is a bad idea.
Do it now, or tomorrow, or better yet, wait until Monday morning.
If you’re worried about an age discrimination lawsuit, this is something you really, really, really don’t want to share. As a 54-year-old I’m pissed that you’re even thinking it.
Have you seen the movie Moneyball? Remember the scene where the nerdy guy has to tell the players they’re traded? Let that be your guide–quick, impersonal, and painless. Emoting won’t help anybody.
I heard the opposite - do it on Friday so it is less of a change to their routine, since ordinarily they would have Saturday and Sunday off anyway, and they can start the job search when they have had a couple of days to recover.
I feel for you but you’re making the right choice.
Back around twenty years ago when I was a young engineer, the company that I worked for had a big layoff in a different division. There was one guy in his early 50s who had been with the company for over twenty years and had been a manager for quite some time. He was offered a job as an engineer in my division. The years of being a manager made him totally useless. They tried and tried but he just couldn’t figure out how to use a computer or some of the relatively simple software programs that we had. He eventually had to be let go.
That scared the crap out of me and I vowed to never be in the position. I’m a little younger now that he was then and I never pass up the opportunity to learn a new thing and stay current. Screw them if they didn’t want to be bothered to learn the new software. They had their chance.
Don’t do that, our worst employee is a referral from a friend who thought he’d be a good fit for us. He’s a horrible sucky employee*. It’s like setting your friend up on a blind date with someone you know they’re aren’t going to like. The only thing that you’re doing by giving the newly fired employee a phone number is attempting to make yourself feel better. Running a business involves firing people. It’s one of the downsides and as I like to say ‘it’s why you get paid the big bucks’.
*just leave it alone, I’ve no interesting in defending why he still works for us. It’s not up to me.
I once had to lay of six guys at the same time. Not fun.
But what I have found is you do a termination like removing a band aid. Do it quickly.
Here is what we are doing
I’m sorry it’s not personal
Sign here, here and here
The best of luck
An older woman who had been with this law firm for twenty years was let go recently under very similar circumstances. We had to change over to an entirely new cloud document control system, and it was a steep learning curve. She might have learned it had she made an effort, but she was more interested in griping loudly about the changeover.
Well, she was no loss, because she was also the nasty office gossip and rumormonger. But I took the lesson to heart; I’m 57, but I’m damned well going to learn any new software that comes up. The only other secretary in my department is a couple of years older than me, and she’s definitely resistant to change and new technology. If anyone gets this department in their sights come layoff time, I’m not going to be the one they target!
ETA: I guess I had better spend less time on the Dope.
I think I once had that conversation with a boyfriend I was dumping…
Foxy - I’m sorry - and I DO feel for you. It isn’t about you - and at the same time - it sucks because you are a decent human being.
My previous company would let you know layoffs were coming, and about the size a target date of them - that let people who suspected prepare, it let a few people just up and quit (and therefore gave us one less person to let go) and, while we couldn’t officially take volunteers, it did let word reach managers that “maybe Tom would like his 20 weeks severance - he’s wanted to move to Texas for a while - so if we have to choose being Tom and Tammy…” so some of the people let go weren’t exactly disappointed. But for the period in time when the decisions were being made and for weeks after it was communicated - management took it HARD. Yeah, it wasn’t easy to be let go - but it wasn’t easy on the other side of the desk either.
I lost all respect at the next company I worked for where they let a bunch of people go and there WASN’T any sense of stress leading up to it, or afterwards. It was simply - with a smirk - “we had to make some changes.” I got no sense of previous sleepless nights or any care about what might happen to these lives.
Also, if it’s possible to give a little bit of warning (which may be impossible), things can go better. It doesn’t need to be that they are getting fired, but a heads up that something serious is going down given a day or two in advance can really help some people cope, compared to a bolt from the blue.
Do you have an HR department or know an HR person you can consult?
Because the words “laid off” mean something different to me than “fired” with respect to filing for unemployment. My parents had union factory jobs back in the day and when production was slow, there would be layoffs. When production ramped back up, they’d get called back to work.
Lay off means if business picks up, they are first on the re-hire list.
Fired means there is no chance this employee will work with you again. Ever.
And I don’t know this for sure, but there may be some unemployment benefits implications if the termination (there’s a terrible euphemism!) is laid off vs. fired. So I suggest checking with an HR-type who knows these things and get a handle on: the proper language to use and help giving advice to the employees regarding filing for unemployment (will HR provide any guidance or resources, assistance?). “Will I be eligible for unemployment?” is going to be one of the first questions. And the answer depends on if you are firing them or laying them off. If you tell me I’m laid off, then yes, I’d expect to be eligible. If you tell me I’m fired, I would expect your HR department to fight my unemployment claim, citing some for-cause reason I was fired.
Better line up those ducks. You can be sued personally for mishandling this.
It might be too late since it sounds like you’ve made your decision, but did you consider across-the-board pay cuts instead? E.g. instead of completely dumping three people, you could cut some salaries and/or reduce the number of hours that certain hourly workers are scheduled to work. Then, everyone suffers a little but nobody has to take the bomb in their lap.
That is a great way to send morale straight into the shitter for everyone especially if the people truly aren’t needed. Increases in efficiency brought on by new technology really do shrink the demand for some kinds of human work - that is a major goal of it. The workers that embrace it can keep their jobs or maybe even improve their job and pay while those that can’t or won’t adapt have to be let go. It is just an effect of ever-increasing productivity gains.
IMO, not a good morale move for the better employees to be told “hey, we’re going to cut your pay so we can keep the deadweight around”. Great reward for those who actually learned the software, etc.