German here; whenever I read workplace stories from the US I can usually follow along just fine, just at the end, it seems like someone HAS to be fired, always leaving me a little confused. Why no reconciliation? Why immediately resort to such a drastic measure?<p>In my professional life I&#x27;ve come across a handful of  colleagues who were demoted when they couldn&#x27;t handle a certain role, or who have committed various kinds of misconduct, yet remained at their companies just fine.