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advice/perspective on jobs, work and management
## I have to fire someone
> *I’m a manager, and as much as it pains me, I think I have to fire one of my employees. To be honest, I’ve been putting it off because I find the process so unpleasant. But this individual just isn’t performing at an acceptable level. Part of it, I think, is he’s in over his head. The work we do is very technical, and requires good organizational and time management skills. If the required procedures aren’t executed according to a very strict schedule, an entire day’s worth of work (or more) can be lost. This has happened on several occasions, and his coworkers have had to pitch in to help make up for it. I thought more training/experience would have helped, but this employee seems more interested in social media and improving his batting average for his intramural softball team than getting better at his job. My sense is that his colleagues won’t miss him either. Still, it’s difficult. How do I handle this so there’s no hard feelings (or a lawsuit)? – Name withheld*
As manager, there are two (2) things you need to concern yourself with whenever you fire someone.
First, you need to establish a clear *reason* for letting the employee go – that is, something both credible and justifiable. This isn’t just to keep those lawyers happy (although that’s important too). Your rationale needs to stand up in the court of public opinion, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment.
Then second, you need to get the *process* of terminating someone just right as well.
Based on what you say, it seems you can confidently check that first box. The employee in question isn’t performing at an acceptable level, and shows no signs of, nor interest in improving. That combination is a deal-breaker. No wonder their coworkers are anxious to see them go. So let’s focus on the second, and perhaps more challenging part:
What is the best way to fire someone?
One of the more successful terminations I’ve ever witnessed was executed by a manager who, I feel, got both pieces—but particularly the second—right. Like you, she was dealing with an underperforming employee who routinely made preventable mistakes, and who exhibited no desire to improve.
After a particularly egregious error, she took this individual aside and explained in a very calm, compassionate, but nevertheless frank way that they just weren’t where they needed to be. Then she added that, as their manager, she saw it as *her* responsibility to get them there. So whatever they needed—more training, guidance, or support—she would help. And finally, she reminded this person the reason she’d hired them in the first place was because she’d seen potential in them, and that her opinion in that regard hadn’t changed.
(How did I learn the details of conversation that obviously took place behind-closed-doors, you might ask? C’mon – as a manager, you know these things have a way of getting out.)
The next time this employee screwed up, the manager basically said the same thing – only then she added her willingness to help them was in fact conditional. They had to actually *want* to improve; she couldn’t help them if they didn’t commit. And then following yet another episode, she simply said: “You know, things can’t go on like this. I’ve got your coworkers to think about too. They’re having to cover for you.” That laid the groundwork for the conversation that followed this employee’s final f\*\*\*-up, which went something like this:
Manager: “You probably know why I asked to speak to you.”
Employee: “Yeah, I guess so.”
Manager: “Well, I really wish things had worked out for you here. I still see  potential in you – and I really believe you’re going to do great in the right situation. So if ever you need anything, just let me know. I’m happy to help.”
(Un)employee: “Thanks, I appreciate that. I’ll get my stuff.”
Note that the word “fire” nor any of its less ominous synonyms (like “let go” or “lay off”) was ever uttered by this manager – not in this conversation, nor at any point in the process. What this manager was able to do, in effect, was make it seem as if *it was the employee’s decision to leave*. And in a way, it was. Theirs was a choice not to put forth the effort needed to avoid being terminated – even after having been given multiple opportunities to do so.
Hard to sue your employer when it’s you who decides to leave.
Just as important is the effect this process had on this employees’ now former coworkers. As anyone might be able to attest, the termination of a colleague can be unsettling, regardless of the reason. It’s perhaps the starkest possible reminder that no job is truly secure. But when the reasoning is clear—and the process seem thoughtful and fair— this greatly diminishes any ill effects of the firing that result from broader organizational anxiety. Given how this instance was handled, coworkers could be reasonably sure something similar wouldn’t happen to them…or at least they wouldn’t be blindsided. And even if their performance did prove sub par, they’d be given every opportunity to turn things around.
So, yes – you have my blessing to fire this individual. It’s regrettable, but if you engage in the process thoughtfully, you needn’t feel too bad about it. If you are going to do it, though, do it quickly. Any lingering on your part will only exacerbate the frustration your other employees already seem to be experiencing – both with this individual for not pulling their weight, and with you for not doing anything about it. Good luck.
And if, for whatever the reason, this employee resists going quietly into the pool of the unemployed, now’s the time to engage in a more formalized termination process (ie. documenting specific incidents, meetings in the presence of a representative from Human Resources to discuss corrective action, etc.). No doubt your HR department will be able to offer you helpful guidance here, should this prove to be the case.
My hope, however, is that it won’t come to that.
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## My employees complain HR doesn’t respond to their emails
> *I’m the GM at a restaurant that belongs to a major restaurant group. We have a corporate office that handles most of our administrative stuff, including HR (leaves of absence, health plans, and other benefits). My employees are always complaining about how slow they are to respond to their emails, if at all. But I’ve never had a problem; I find the staff to be super helpful. And they always get back to me right away… – Name withheld*
Haha – well, I guess I still find reactions like yours amusing. But they certainly don’t surprise me anymore.
So here’s the deal: *HR responds to your emails more promptly BECAUSE YOU’RE A GENERAL MANAGER.* The treatment you receive from this department—as well as virtually everyone else in your organization (with the probable exception of your own manager)—will, in all likelihood, be more timely, thoughtful, courteous, and generally *better* than that which your line cooks, servers, bartenders, and dishwashers receive. And all of this is because you’re like, what? Two rungs higher up on the organization chart?
As if that matters.
Honestly, though – don’t take my chiding too seriously. In fact, manifestations of this sort of “reality distortion field” are far more common amongst the management class than you might realize.
For instance, in my own career I’ve encountered managers who genuinely believed they were funnier, and possessed a more sophisticated sense of humor than those they managed simply because everyone always seemed so busted up by their lame-a\*\* puns and corny knock-knock jokes. Managers who were convinced that they were more intelligent than their employees not because they actually were, but because nobody dared call them on it when they suggested something stupid (which was pretty often). I‘ve even had to tolerate managers who were convinced they were more charming, better looking, or otherwise more attractive than any objective observer might assess them to be. And all because they failed to realize that extra attention and fawning they received wasn’t motivated by romantic interest, but a desire on the part of their employees to stay on their good side, and thus protect their job.
So, please – wake up and smell the coffee. Or more specifically, the oat milk mocha latte (your favorite) which your restaurant’s barista always seems to have ready and waiting for you when you walk in the door (*Gosh – isn’t he nice??*). Your HR department gives you preferential treatment because they consider you to be more important than the rabble you manage. So the next time you hear a complaint like this, please, listen to your employees. They undoubtedly know what their talking about. And then going forward, have everyone “Cc” you on all their emails to HR.
That should solve the problem.
**NOTES:**
 Credit to Apple employees working under Steve Jobs’ authoritarian and notoriously abusive management style for coining this insightful term. Please see: *Steve Jobs* by Walter Isaacson. 2011 (Simon&Schuster).
 Occasionally, I wonder how much unwanted attention or unwelcome advances might be avoided in the workplaces around the world if the manager in question simply realized this.
## [ 2 Comments ]
1. !
   Bill
   on September 13, 2024 at 11:36 pm
   There are some very interesting insights from this post (see excerpts below) that frankly never occurred to me. I guess there IS a silver lining in being average-looking & not deluding myself about it.
   I’d be really thrown if I assumed someone had the hots for me and then discovered it was instead all an act to stay in my good graces. Cringe city.
   I never know what previously un-thought-about insights I’m going to encounter on this here blog. That’s one of the things I like about it. You think you’re going to be reading variations on Management 101. Then next thing you know, you’re delving into arcana about industrial developments that transformed management practices in the late 1800’s. Or key technological or demographic trends that affected employee – manager relations, first slowly, then irreversibly, in brand new ways over the decades.
   Quite a wealth of knowledge to be found & enjoyed here. Which makes it much better / more stimulating than reading a textbook or best-selling trade book on labor & management.
   From blog post👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
   “I’ve even had to tolerate managers who were convinced they were more charming, better looking, or otherwise more attractive than any objective observer might assess them to be. And all because they failed to realize that extra attention and fawning they received wasn’t motivated by romantic interest, but a desire on the part of their employees to stay on their good side, and thus protect their job.[2]
   [2] Occasionally, I wonder how much unwanted attention or unwelcome advances might be avoided in the workplaces around the world if the manager in question simply realized this.”
   * !
     the subordinate
     on September 16, 2024 at 1:17 pm
     Thanks – I appreciate your kind words!