How you should fire an employee? What are the most common mistakes and how can you do it right. Some tips from Jack Welsch and videos

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2. NOW FOR THE HARD P A R T
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3. Firing is awful, both for the person who speaks to the employee and for the
person being asked to leave.
Emotions : guilt and anxiety before, during, and after.
Reasons:
Integrity violations
• stealing, lying, cheating, or any other form of ethical
or legal breach.
Layoffs due to economic downturns
• More complicated.
Nonperformance
• Main focus, usually turn into mess.
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4. Don’t need to hesitate for a moment.
Just do it, and make sure the organization knows why so the consequences of
breaking rules also seen and known in the organization.
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5. More complicated.
Every employee, not just the senior people, should know how a company is
doing.
As a manager get as much as you can and get it to your people as clearly and
frequently as possible. When the time came for the layoffs, people were sad but
they understood.
Open-book management
Receive the
information
Get the
information to
your people
Employees knew
the state of
business
Less surprise and
frustration
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6. The most complex and delicate kind of firing, when an individual has to be let go
because of poor performance.
• Firing learn on the job while living the most stressful circumstances.
• Never be ready never be get used to fire.
• Most of the time we pursue our instincts.
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8. There can be some gray areas that make it harder.
3 Big mistakes;
1. Moving too fast
2. Not using enough candor
3. Taking too long
1. MOVING TOO FAST
Richard example “You’ve got to be crazy. We don’t fire people at this
company!”.
-He never missed an opportunity to challenge the authority of the new boss or
her boss, several warnings, an important customer called to complain that his
shipment was a week late)
-A hate-management movement had been launched.
-Employees felt that he had been fired without enough warning, and they
complained they no longer trusted the boss or the organization.
-Behind closed doors chatting.
-Productivity dropped.
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10. 2. NOT USING ENOUGH CANDOR
Gail example
-Gail’s friendly to everyone, she tries hard,
and she’s been with the company for
years, she is cheerful when you try to warn
her.
-Manager hides the negative feelings.
-Can not make a clear performance feedback, give mixed messages about
“working smarter.”
-In the firing speech she reminds the positive feedbacks-the mixed messages-
-Both sides are angry and frustrated, employee find the situation insulting.
Result
Every employee who leaves goes on to represent your company. For the
next five, ten, or twenty years, they can bad-mouth or praise.
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12. 3. TAKING TOO LONG
Dead company. They can Man Walking
effect
-Everyone knows a person is about to be fired, including the person himself, but
the boss waits a long time to pull the trigger.
-The result is enormous awkwardness in the office
-Everyone around avoiding the person as much as possible.
WHY?
No one likes to do it, and so the event often gets delayed.
Bosses try to show the necessity of firing the person to the victim’s peers.
Being careful than moving faster.
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15. NO SUPRISES
Eliminate the gray areas regarding the
performance.
Open Communication & Mutual Understanding
about the goals and ability to meet these
expectations.
A good performance evaluation process informs and prepares people in the
fairest, most open way.
If people know where they stand, in fact, a firing actually never happens. Instead,
when things are not working out, eventually there is a mutual understanding that
it’s time to part ways.
The possibility of parting ways will have been raised and discussed openly.
PREVIOUS CASES NEVER CAN BE ELIMINATED BUT CAN BE LESS
COMMON EVERY YEAR.
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16. MINIMIZE HUMILIATION
Understanding the emotional timeline of the experience.
For the boss, the
timeline begins
long before the
actual event
Employee usually
optimistic until the end.
After the new his self-esteem
is on the floor.
Feel nervous, frustrated while
prepare for it.
feel relieved and anxiety flow out
after delivering the bad news.
If you’ve done everything right, he won’t be
surprised, but he could still be feeling
terribly sad and hurt.
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17. MINIMIZE HUMILIATION
Although the employee has done a poor job, and has waste your time and
energy already; until he departs, your job is to make sure he doesn’t feel like
a freak.
Build up his self-confidence. Coach him. Let him know there is a good job for
him out there, where his skills are a better match. You may even help him
find that job. Your goal for the fired employee is a soft landing wherever he
goes.
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19. Firings are a part of business.
If you handle them right, they’ll never be enjoyable, but they can be tolerable
for all involved.
The legacy of a firing lasts a long time, for the boss for the company and, the
person who has been fired.
If your company is collapsing, you can handle the situation by open
management strategy.
If someone has an integrity violation, the person should be fired as soon as
possible.
The most difficult part is regarding the gray area.
Remember that every time there is a parting of ways, you own the process.
When it’s time to let someone go, do it right. No surprises. No humiliation.
A firing may take an hour, but someone’s departure can take six months.
You’ll save a lot of pain—and preserve a lot of pride—if you don’t rush it.
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