Randy Cantrell

September 8th, 2006 at 4:01 pm

Face-to-face. Always with a witness.

After they’ve been formally warned of the performance/behavior issues that put their job at risk…UNLESS the behavior is criminal (drugs, theft, violence in the workplace, etc.). And after you’ve coached your brains out trying to rectify the problem. Make sure you can look in the mirror knowing you did everything possible to help them succeed.

Be short and to the point. It shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes. This isn’t time for a lot of discussion. That shipped has sailed by the time you’re giving them their final check.

Have them leave immediately. And don’t feel badly (if you did all you could to prevent it). Move on.

David Askaripour

September 8th, 2006 at 6:22 pm

Randy, you are right on the money with that advice. I have been fired before and that’s exactly how it went down. They just couldn’t contain my entrepreneurial spirit!

Gaurav Karnani

September 16th, 2006 at 2:12 am

I agree with you, however i do feel that it is important to also highlight the person’s good attributes and achievements. I held the tough position of having to let an employee go a few months ago (he was only 2 yrs younger than me). We had developed a good rapport, and for what it was worth he was pretty talented. I think that by letting him know what we appreciated from his efforts and what we learned from him, opened him up a little and brought some trust to the table. This wasnt done to let him absorb the bad news any easier. I chose to let him go this way, so that he would understand what went wrong, but still have the confidence to know that he would succeed elsewhere. I feel as an employer you have a moral duty to your empolyees- whether it is to their immediate needs, their family issues or their future.