From the article: Top 10 Don'ts When You Fire an Employee
Firing employees is never a pleasant experience but there are actions you can take that minimize the pain - for you and for your organization, and for the fired employee, too. What have you found is best not to do when firing employees? Advice about what works well for you when firing employees, is welcome, too. See more reader responses. Share Your Experience
Political firing
- HR does not understand the first thing about company politics. Someone needs to stop the insanity with employment-at-will garbage that basically gives private employers the right to break the law with things they say and do. I had an owner say to my management team that they are to go home and f@^% there wives and come back and work 110 percent and then do it all over again. Then be allowed to slander and make up lies at will. When will someone step up and stop this basic violation of our constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness and all men are created equal then allow these kinds of injustices to exist with no real recourse to stand up for your rights. I was told I had a job for life, said to me with witnesses present, but if it got to court the statement would be dismissed. Well the kicker is after 27 years of devotion to a company, they did what every selfish owner eventually does when they reach retirement age themselves, they get rid of all the high salaries.
- —Guest rickz
Here Is How to "Pay Back" HR Devils
- When you get hired, make sure to get a copy of your job description on day one. Keep a dang job journal, people - write down everything that happens each day at work, who was there, what was said etc. Keep detailed track of each time you're late so it can't be used against you later. DO EVERYTHING IN WRITING! Whether it is to be to your supervisor, or anyone higher than that. Take detailed photos of your entire work environment, if it's labor. If they change the job description and give you new copies, SAVE the old ones. If you have cause to possibly sue, do not bother to count on the state agency for an investigation that involves your best interests. Let me explain why. All the allegations you make when you file a complaint, as with Department of Fair Employment and Housing in CA., are investigated by that state's department and all it really does is prepare the company you work for by providing them with all the details of your attack plan. Most states will give you the right to sue letter up front.
- —Guest Hot Sauce
This article SUCKS
- All you HR people who write these BS heartless articles... I really hope someday you get fired over BS and end up in the unemployment line... a taste of your own poison when you pull power trips on good employees and ruin careers. This advice is so cold it's almost narcissistic! Is this why HR usually doesn't work on location? To avoid the "Gone Postal" scenario?
- —Guest Hot Sauce
Human resources are anything but human.
- It takes a special "kind" of person to be an HR... a person who lacks empathy and social skills. Even the title suggests employees are just disposable "resources". I've met a lot of HRs, mostly women and every one has this superior power trip attitude, even outside of work. (I have a relative who is a district HR for a dollar store company - total B). HR people are your worst enemy, don't forget that!
- —Guest Hot Sauce
Firing
- I worked as a temporary employee for a total of 8 days for a health care company and the training was not the best. It was the supervisor that was the problem. If she had a question about my job performance she would talk out loud so all of the other employees would hear her talking to me in a very rude manner when I could not grasp on to the job as quickly as she thought I should. I was nervous and could not concentrate on the project that i was doing so I was fired after 8 days on the job which I think is very little time for training.
- —Guest Mary James
No Class and Cowards
- I was terminated over the phone while attending the funeral of a loved one out of state, for a reason that I haven't "met their expectations." Shame on them. They definitely have no class.
- —Guest imbetteroff
Terrible Advice!
- Don't offer them to quit instead of participating in disciplinary action. A court would see that as termination on your part because you essentially communicated that the employee was going to be fired in the future, or they could quit there. You'd lose that case in court and you'd be sued for at least their severance pay, possibly plus damages.
- —Guest BC B
One person can destroy you
- I was an entry level, part-time file clerk. Got stellar reviews for the first 3 reviews and was offered full-time work. Then, it began: micromanaging with put-downs and insulting tones by the 2 paralegals I worked for. I talked to them. One sort of backed off. The other seethed with anger; it oozed from her. She complained, made up stories that I wasn't coming along fast enough and sure enough, 10 weeks after starting, I got fired. I knew the problem was this vile woman. I told HR the problem was personality, not my working abilities. They knew it, but had to do what the vile woman wanted. So much for my attempt to break into a new career. I can't say I want to put up with those egotistical, snot-nosed, glorified office-worker brats in a law firm anyway. But I feel I was really done wrong by them. Oh, and they told me in the beginning they had a hard time filling that position. Hmm, and now I know why.
- —railroadedgirl
Taking the Human out of Human Resources
- I can't help but notice that this series of approaches does not in any way consider the well-being of the employee. While there may indeed be employees who are just lazy, wouldn't it save you a lot of time wasted giving pep talks to someone who might be clinically depressed, going through a divorce, etc., by finding out in the first place if there is a legitimate reason they're underperforming? All this time trying to motivate someone who can't be motivated, while they continue to do a bad job, until you have to fire them (which puts their life further in the hole), could instead be spent helping them obtain resources (wait... human... resources...) to help with the actual problems that are causing them to lose their motivation in the first place. Don't just recite the suggested actions from your business school textbook. Actually think about what helps companies and people. (Hi, I have pages and pages of information on how to help employees, find out why they're underperforming, care about them, coach them, etc. This article is specifically detailing what you need to do when all of the kindness failed. Please read further on the site. Susan)
- —Guest Maya
Not in the Employees Best Interest-EVER!
- ND is an at-will state. I was talked into a newly created job and later this position was terminated because my boss didn't like the fact that I refused to take over his volunteer position as Director of the Harley Davidson Chapter. He wanted this in return for getting me the job. Nevermind I am educated and qualified and did a great job. ONE PERSON can DESTROY another's career. BE CAREFUL OF WHO YOU WORK FOR! Companies survive...people do not!
- —Guest Katherine
My Job Was Posted on the Internet
- That's how I found out I was being terminated. I was surfing for a job, for my unemployed husband, and I found the listing for my job on the job boards.
- —Guest Mary
Terminations Are the Worst Part....
- But usually a good business decision. What do people prefer in the am or pm?
- —Guest Kenner
Don't Make It a Public Affair
- I was with this company for 11 wonderful years. They sold the company to another. After telling us that they were not going to let anyone go, the district manager came in and walked me to the food court of the mall, sat me down at a table filled with people, gave me a paper to read that said they were eliminating the store manager position. He then began to read it in front of all of these people, to make sure I understood what was happening. In front of all of these people, I was heart broken. All of the time I put in, and the promises they made - all empty. Plus, I just found out that they have a new store manager. Sad.
- —tsak40
At-Will
- If the firing is not performance driven or no documented circumstances exist for the firing, one can only assume it is a political or budget move. The bottom line is that, fair or unfair, employment at will provides that right in many (non-union) states.
- —Guest terri
Do Not Schedule When He Has Your Car
- Never a good idea. I got it back, but it had tears in it.
- —Guest Wendel Crumg
Respectful Process?
- The process of my termination clearly reflected the lack of respect this company feels toward their employees. The Friday that I was terminated the employees that I worked with knew what was about happen and couldn't look me in the eye. When called into the meeting my boss was reading from sticky notes the reasons for my termination, none of which were true or made any sense. I had produced much revenue for this company and had earned productivity bonuses each quarter. I wish that my boss (who had been my friend for 10 years) had just one ounce of respect for me as a human being and the maturity to give me a few weeks notice of the termination to allow me some dignity to resign to avoid the complete humiliation of being terminated and to avoid the damage to my career that this has caused.
- —Guest girlnogroupthink
