When Firing Someone, Focus On Those Who Remain

Firing is hard. It should be.

First, it only happens because of a failure. A failure to hire the right person, a failure to train that person well, a failure to create the right motivational or managerial environment for that person or a failure of the person you hire to execute to expectations (note that 3/4 of these failures are those of the hiring manager or company, not of the employee).

Second, it’s likely that you’ll be disrupting at least the life of the employee and, perhaps, the employee’s entire family. Unless the employee’s done something worthy of Charles Manson or Ken Lay, this factor has to come in to play.

Third, you have to deal with a myriad of various legal and regulatory issues involved with firing someone, making sure that your ass is appropriately covered.

Fourth, and most importantly, you have to put a tremendous amount of time, attention and energy in to making sure that those who aren’t being fired (read: everyone else) understand what has happened and how it effects them.

Full Story: http://herman.org/Blogs/2-speed/archive/2006/07/03/158.aspx