Firing people sucks, but you got this
We talk a lot about what our teams mean to us. But sometimes things don’t work out and it stinks. It might be performance problems, a shift in the company's direction, or a downturn in the business. But it’s something every leader has to deal with at some point: letting someone go. So if it has to be done, let’s talk about how to do it the best way for everyone. Read on!
How to Part Ways with an Employee Respectfully
It’s hands-down the WORST part of being a boss. But with the power to make decisions comes the responsibility of letting people go when necessary. Some Bureau members were recently commiserating about firing people on the team, and how to do it as painlessly as possible.
Here is some of their wisdom on how to go about this difficult task, and how to keep a bad situation from getting worse.
Remember that you’re dealing with a person
Most of the leaders I know view their team more as friends than resources, but it still bears repeating: You need to be as thoughtful about how you let someone go as you can. Or, as this member so eloquently put it, “How you treat the outgoing employee will reflect your true culture back to your existing team.” And while you may feel the need to explain or justify the termination, resist the urge to criticize the employee who has left. It will make everyone wonder what you’d say about them if they left.
Pick the right time
Are you a morning person, or an afternoon person? It really doesn’t matter, because there’s no great time for this. The consensus of the group, though, was that afternoon is best – just not right at the end of the day. One Bureau member said, “Do it before 4pm so you have time to inform the team that "Larry" has been let go, and so you can explain why (in a nice supportive way), and explain impacts. And also: never on a Friday.”
Adjust to the circumstances
Just as hiring a new position comes about through different circumstances, letting someone go might take a variety of forms. Another Bureau member recognized that not every situation requires the same approach. “If the departure is in any way a genuine surprise to the employee, then you or their manager are doing something wrong and it’s worth you examining that after their departure. If it’s redundancy, they should already know that things are tough and you’re going to be making some layoffs. If it’s performance-based, there should have been a number of frank conversations and chances to improve before it came to this.”
Be sensitive to the effect on other employees
Back to the idea of why timing matters and how this impacts your culture, this Bureau member elaborated on why firing someone on a Friday is bad. “If the firing lands poorly for your existing team, they have all weekend to come up with conspiracy theories that you can’t address. If people have questions or misunderstandings you want them to be able to come to you right away.”
Yet another emphasized that you need to be aware of how others will be affected. “I agree with allowing enough time in the workday to inform the rest of the team (and clients, if applicable). Consider making a triage list: which to notify first, then second, then third. Every other employee at the company will be observing what you do, and they'll assume (if it came to it) that you'd fire them the same way.”
Be firm & direct
If you truly need to let someone go, you don’t want to give them false hope or create an opportunity for them to try to change things. This Bureau member recommended that you “have the first sentence be ‘Today is your last day/we’re firing you for cause/etc.’ That’s not a falsifiable statement since the decision has already been made, so you don’t open the door for back and forth. And if it’s not for cause, [write] recommendation letters to give them for their next employer.”
Hopefully, these insights into this Bureau conversation will help you when you find yourself at this unfortunate crossroads. If you have tips to make this tough situation easier, we'd love to hear from you. Send them on over!