How do you fire an employee?
A recent article by my friend Amy Gahran about The True Cost of Cowardly Management has left me thinking about the proper way to tell an employee that they're on probation and, ultimately, to fire them.
While I haven't fired hundreds of people (no, I'm not Donald Trump and no I don't actually enjoy firing people) I have certainly let employees go and know just how difficult it is, even when there's no question that the person needs to part ways with the firm.
The foundation of any good employee / employer relationship is communication, in both directions, but so few companies seem to really emphasize that as a cornerstone skill. As an employee, you have just as much responsibility to communicate your accomplishments and failures to your boss as they have to communicate corporate policy and strategic course corrections to you.
As a stepping stone along this path, I will state bluntly that...
While I haven't fired hundreds of people (no, I'm not Donald Trump and no I don't actually enjoy firing people) I have certainly let employees go and know just how difficult it is, even when there's no question that the person needs to part ways with the firm.
The foundation of any good employee / employer relationship is communication, in both directions, but so few companies seem to really emphasize that as a cornerstone skill. As an employee, you have just as much responsibility to communicate your accomplishments and failures to your boss as they have to communicate corporate policy and strategic course corrections to you.
As a stepping stone along this path, I will state bluntly that...
posted by Dave Taylor at
9:52 AM
