The first time you fired somebody

In My Humble Opinion
1

Man, this sucks. I’m a new manager. I know I signed up to be the sharp end of the stick - that’s why they’re paying me the big bucks. Thankfully, it’s a small enough company, and the employees are generally professional and competent enough, that I won’t have to do it that often.

Still, it sucks. The employee in question is nice enough. His problem is that he can’t successfully complete anything but a very, very small number of very, very simple, very very rote tasks. After two years on the job, he’s displayed zero interest in expanding his skills or taking on new duties beyond what he was taught in the first month.

When I came on board, I was told that this guy is most likely on his way out the door. So, being the eager new boss, I tried my best to give him opportunities to prove himself, show some ambition, take a few risks and screw things up, and then ask how he could do better… anything, really, to show that the lights are on.

Needless to say, the results haven’t been encouraging.

So some time in the next few weeks, it’ll be my first turn to be the bastard. I almost wish he were a complete dick, or got caught looking at porn, or stealing, or something, instead of being… well… meh.

At least I won’t get the blame for hiring him in the first place.

So, anybody else been in a similar situation? Is the first one the hardest? I’m not the kind of person who can completely divorce my emotions from my actions, at least internally, and the justification that I’m doing it for the good of my employer rings a little hollow inside. Does it ever get any easier?

2

The first time I had to do it I was a supervisor at a phone survey place and I was still in high school. We paid really well for the time (as much as $15 an hour in the mid ninties) and the job sucked ass so we had lots of people who just wanted the money and didn’t want to do the work. The first guy I caught breaking one of the instant fire rules was a huge football player type who threw a chair at me and knocked over a table.

After that it got much easier.

3

It never gets easy to fire good people who just can’t do the job.

However, firing bad people who can’t do the job does get a little easier, but there’s the added stress of those bad people making threats, taking a swing at you or punching holes in the wall on the way out of the building. Yes, these have all happened to me. Interestingly enough the worst offenders of this behavior (in my experience) have been women!

Firing people is one of the main reasons I had to get out of management. It’s just not worth the “big bucks” you so described.

4

First time I remember firing anyone it was a twofer. I was a trainer at a call center and I had two trainees who were significantly trailing the rest of the class, which was accelerated for our busy season. I advised them both after the third day of a five-day class. that I had to let them go and they both complained to my manager. Because they both happened to be ethnic minorities and both made noise about racism, my manager decided to retain them both and have a supervisor sit in on the next class to see if she concurred with my evaluation.

Stupidly, rather than making any attempt to catch up and, you know, learn how to do the job, they spent the next class being bitter and resentful and generally fucking up. After class the observing supervisor could not agree with me fast enough to bounce both of them. One of them later filed some half-ass discrimination claim with the state or the city, I forget which, that went nowhere because it was completely without merit.

5

Firing people is no fun. My husband always leaves it up to me.

We do it by “the rule”. First, a verbal warning. Then a written warning. Then a second written warning. We keep these on file, just in case. The third time, that’s it, you’re gone.

Only once did I fire someone without going through the routine. We have a farm, and sometimes we can’t get particularly wonderful employees, it’s hard work and long hours, and people would rather not do it if they can find something better. This one guy was just a complete jerk. He was told to do a certain job, argued with my husband about doing it. I went to check on his progress and found him smoking a joint so that was that. He was going to get ugly about it, but the other guys gave him the bum’s rush and he was gone.

I have to admit that it was sorta a power rush to shout “You’re fired!”. But I hope I never have to do it like that again.

6

Frankly, during my three year stint as a call center supervisor I fired so many people that most of them don’t stand out anymore. I got so used to being lied to and betrayed by people that it didn’t sting most of the time.

Towards the beginning, perhaps even the first, I remember firing one person, Gabriella. She had been caught committing flagrant and purposeful misconduct (releasing calls immediately after being connected in some sort of attempt to game the system with 6 or 7 different employees). She begged for her job with tears, pleading for her children, swearing to high heaven she’d never do it again, so we gave her another chance. Within a week, I caught her doing the same thing – not one or two calls, but again a huge number. When I fired her, she begged and pleaded and put on the whole show again. I remember feeling very betrayed at the time.

There was one person who tried to play the racism card on me and get me fired too, Otto, when I was in training as well! It didn’t work, as I was supposedly supposed to have been racist to her in front of a group (who didn’t verify the story) and they were fired themselves shortly thereafter.

The ones where the person legitimately was trying to do a good job but failing were rough, but rare. For the most part, people intentionally are fuck-ups. But, I do remember a case or two where it was someone who, bless 'em, were just dull and couldn’t learn the job. I felt bad and worked with them for as long as I could justify it, then finally let them go and explained why. For the most part, they understood. It’s just important to let people know honestly how their performance is. You can be sympathetic to their difficulty, but it’s important to give an honest impression. Many people, when confronted with the honest fact that they are not doing well, screen themselves out into another field anyway.

7

I absolutely agree with this. I can’t imagine having to let someone go that didn’t see it coming. I don’t know if you have gone through the steps of sitting him down and letting him know his performance is not up to expectations but if you haven’t, I suggest you start tomorrow.

If you already have, he must know it’s coming. In cases like this, I usually have a reference ready to give him that focuses on the good points. (Even if it is only he played well with others and was a snappy dresser) Also a check with at least two weeks severance for each year worked available to hand to him on his way out helps the process.

It is a little easier to take with a reference and your pockets full. When they go home and think about how much you suck and what a raw deal they got, they are not in front of you.

8

That’s the case it was for me. Bless her heart, she just couldn’t get it, and I think eventually that she got so terrified, knowing she wasn’t getting it, that she couldn’t learn. My boss worked with her, I worked with her, but it just got to the point where she was a drain on the department. She was actually very understanding about the whole thing, and turned in her resignation.

I actually feel bad, because I was the one who hired her. My boss says that happens sometimes…you get a good interviewee, and the pool was rather sparse to begin with, so you sometimes don’t get a lot to choose from. The guy that replaced her is outstanding.

The thing is, document document document, and don’t drag it out. It hurts morale with the other employees.

9

It isn’t fun, but it is necessary. I’ve fired two. One just couldn’t learn the job, and one was a great employee in every way but one–attendance.

10

Have you had the conversation with him that asks “Are you in the right job?” You would be amazed how many people either (a) realize they are not and quit or (b) say “Yes, I am” and set out to show you. I have never had anyone walk away from that conversation unchanged.

There were times in my career that someone should have had that conversation with me & didn’t. I wish that they had, though. Although in each of those cases, I eventually realized I was not in the right job and found a new one, I wasted a lot of my time and the company’s money figuring it out. A good manager could have helped me come to that conclusion much quicker.

11

I have to second ASAKMOTSD. For one of the first people I fired it was actually a relief for him. The job just was not for him, but he didn’t want to give up.
And as long as I’m agreeing with folks, Ivylass is right about not dragging it out. Coworkers kinow who isn’t pulling their weight before management. Every time I fired folks people told me they’d rather have no one in the position than the dearly departed.

12

Been there. It is never fun to have to let someone go. My first made it easy on me in as much as he wouldn’t do take even the small wins to make it work. He was given a personal improvement plan with four items on it. One of them was simply: check your code into the archive every friday. He wouldn’t even do that. In the end, he made the choice simple - but the actual firing is still no fun.

13

Is anybody else picturing the old Cheers episode where Norm is given the job of designated fire-er?

14

What if they don’t want to get further? What if they show up, do their job and don’t want to learn anything new? What if they turn into the employee that always shows up, does their job, doesn’t bitch or whine and is the anchor?

15

Some jobs require continual learning. Others don’t. If you’re in one of the former, and you are unable or unwilling to meet the job requirements, then you will be shown the door.

16

Good points about having a formal conversation with him. I never thought I’d ever see myself typing these words, but a formal performance evaluation procedure would be helpful here.

They’ve been really lucky to hire a great bunch of highly motivated folks for whom the regular raises and other perks are evaluation enough. Unfortunately, this means that when we hire somebody who turns out not to be a good fit, there isn’t any process for getting rid of them other than buying them lunch and throwing them out on the street.

What gets me is that this guy’s been allowed to languish for two years. While this isn’t exactly a cut-throat organization, it’s pretty out of character for them.

17

Have had the “joy” of being the designated hatchet man multiple times.

I’ll reinforce what others have already said - make sure all steps are documented for self preservation.

As for the act itself, sometimes it’s very painful and there’s no escaping that. Other times the affected employee has made it enjoyable. Never balances out, there’s always going to be more painful and the sleepless nights you are left with.

18

A more competent employee should be able to perform his duties in less than an hour a day. It usually takes him three. The other five hours, he’s on the WoW forums or something.

19

My one piece of advice is that when you do it, get to the point quickly and professionally. The first time I fired someone, I hemmed and hawed and didn’t get the info out in a quick and efficient way, it was like pulling off a bandaid slowly, putting it back on, then pulling off slowly again.

20

Wow, you guys are all lucky that at your job, people can actually get fired. At my job, you pretty much have to commit a henious crime, out in the open, preferably videotaped, naked, and cursing the manager’s mother the whole time. They are terrified of firing people at my work, even though this is an at-will state (or whatever it’s called). I have several coworkers that need firing, but the policy is to give them crappy raises every year until they get mad and quit, because nobody should ever be fired- that’s a liability, especially if they are a minority.