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No question, firing people is hard. "It's the management duty I hate most," entrepreneur David Robins said.
"But in a start-up, margins for error are so slim and time is so critical, sometimes you just don't have a choice."
Robins speaks from experience. Cofounder of Binfire, which makes collaborative project-management software, Robins has let three key employees go since 2010 -- all within six months of their start dates.
I've had to do it probably half a dozen times. The first one hurt the worst and I was upset about it for days. Without trying to sound cold and callous now, I've come to accept that unfortunately it's usually due to the employee's actions (or lack thereof) and thus they've brought it upon themselves. Still never easy.
Now, laying off a well-performing employee due to restructuring or something? That would kill me and to be honest I'm not sure I could do it.....
I've had to do it probably half a dozen times. The first one hurt the worst and I was upset about it for days. Without trying to sound cold and callous now, I've come to accept that unfortunately it's usually due to the employee's actions (or lack thereof) and thus they've brought it upon themselves. Still never easy.
Now, laying off a well-performing employee due to restructuring or something? That would kill me and to be honest I'm not sure I could do it.....
It's business and anyone that understands business will understand these types of layoffs/firings.
As to your first comment on the firing of employees, I 100% agree. They bring it upon themselves, they essentially fire themselves and you just have to be the hammer that drives that nail into their own hand crafted coffin.
It's hard but sometimes someone isn't cut out for a particular job and you might view it as giving them the opportunity to find something more suitable to their talents or personality.
Also someone should have enough verbal warnings and write-ups to not be overly surprised when they are let go -- but also many people will try to get themselves fired so they can get on unemployment handouts, they'd rather have free money than have to show up to work.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have felt badly firing people that just didn't have what it took to do the work, that should never have been hired by my predecessor, but in some cases such as an employee that would drive drunk in the company vehicle, despite providing counseling, that fakes job injuries or steals from the company, it's satisfying to finally get rid of them after all of the documentation and warnings.
I have felt badly firing people that just didn't have what it took to do the work, that should never have been hired by my predecessor, but in some cases such as an employee that would drive drunk in the company vehicle, despite providing counseling, that fakes job injuries or steals from the company, it's satisfying to finally get rid of them after all of the documentation and warnings.
Have you had to fire someone due to physical abuse/violence? If an employee was physically abused twice and other employees saw it the second time, not the first, would you fire the accused person on the spot? I understand companies have different policies, but this is a question based on your experience.
One lady in our Engineering group has been with the group for 25 years and so is my boss. This lady was a poor performer in the beginning but in the last 10 years she has turned progressively worst. All engineers except her come to work at 7 and she used to come in a 8. Over the last 10 years, she slowly moved her start time to 8:30, 9:00, and now finally 10. After everyone leaves at 4 or 4:30, she would leave too. My boss is too close to her. I don't think he can fire her. One time he gently reprimanded her in the annual review and she was crying for an hour. If she works for the 6 hours there, I and others wouldn't be complaining but she works for less than half of the time she is there. She is spending most of her day complaining about other people and she really believes that she is the most productive member on the team. She some how convinced herself that she is too busy and too important. Fortunately, we have a system that tracks our productivity very effectively and last year she is rated at 30% efficiency. Amazing.
One lady in our Engineering group has been with the group for 25 years and so is my boss. This lady was a poor performer in the beginning but in the last 10 years she has turned progressively worst. All engineers except her come to work at 7 and she used to come in a 8. Over the last 10 years, she slowly moved her start time to 8:30, 9:00, and now finally 10. After everyone leave at 4 or 4:30, she would leave too. My boss is too close to her. I don't think he can fire her.
That is annoying, but so are the people that actually stay all day and take forever to get anything done.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Honestly? If you can't fire or lay off people, you shouldn't be managing them to begin with.
I have had to fire people before and, while not pleasant, I stayed calm and professional and answered questions. It's hard. I get it. But if you accept a management positions, it goes with the territory. On the other hand, I've been laid off twice (over the course of a 20 year career) and both times were due to division-wide layoffs (not performance-related). The first time, the corporate head actually started crying when she was giving us the news. Oh, please. Nothing like getting laid off by a blubbering idiot who gets to keep her job. The second time, the manager was so nervous, she could barely get it out and didn't know the answers to very basic questions.
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