Have you ever fired someone? If so, why?
Dozens. Hundreds, I’d bet. I was an HR manager for a number
of companies and it was my unfortunate task to terminate a lot of people. The
bulk of those terminations were:
Reduction in force — usually at the end of the Christmas
holiday season and/or a downturn at a store that required letting people go.
This easily puts the numbers into the hundreds. The post-Christmas one was
easy. The reduction in force that came about randomly (at a store I worked at)
was painful.
Attendance — this was was actually a joy for me. Yes, a joy.
As a manager, you learn to appreciate reliability and while many terminations
are agonizing, especially if the person is caught up in circumstances you
cannot totally blame them for, attendance was either painless or a total joy.
Literally, I’d have to contain the smirk when I’d finally be able to tell Moron
#85 who called off all the time, “Well, you see, Tony, I’m sure you know what’s
about to happen …” they always did.
Performance — this was usually not unpleasant, but sometimes
was horrible. Most of the time, it was a relief. People who are struggling
don’t realize they’re being done a favor. If you suck at your job, you’re
miserable anyway (I’ve yet to see a horrible employee who is thrilled with the
job). By terming them, you’re moving them to the door and on to something better
in life. It also was almost always the worst experience because, inevitably,
there would be that rare employee who tried very, very hard and just didn’t
make it.
This was always a tough one to explain because we’ve all
been polluted by high school and parents who tell us to “just try, that’s all
we can ask.” A job pays you to do a job, not try. If Person 1 can put zero
effort in and get the job done, they keep their job. If Person 2 works their
ass off and still doesn’t get the job done, they get fired. Companies are
for-profit businesses, not charities and people are paid to do a job.
The thing that made it horrifying is when someone was in a
situation where you knew their entire life depended on making money and
providing for a family. Performance terminations don’t creep up out of nowhere.
At least when I gave them, an employee was frequently given 9 months to improve
(with two separate performance counselings). When I was in HR —having been
terminated for a performance counseling that was used specifically to get rid
of me— I always took it as a personal charge to really invest time in working
with the employee. Most of the time they made it, sometimes they didn’t. That
was painful when they were supporting a family.
Insubordination/Attitude — this is an incredibly rare reason
to terminate an employee, but they exist. Why? Because insubordinate and
negative people tend to do a sucky job. It’s easier to counsel and terminate an
employee for performance than the fuzzy world of insubordination and poor
attitude. Still, I had an employee tell me that she wouldn’t do some task that
fell within her purview. When called back into the office, she said (in front
of me and a witness) that she refused. She was sent home and the next time she
came in, she lost her (supervisor) job.
Workplace violence — Not an issue. Never cared about these
people and sending violent people home is always a joy.
Harassment — This was THE worst situation I’ve ever dealt
with. A supervisor I adored had used his access to employee information to send
inappropriate text messages to a female coworker. He was like the damned
Trinity Killer (no murder): the most pleasant man to your face, but as it would
turn out, a stark raving lunatic to subordinate women. I was so angry and so stunned.
Well, he just had to be let go.
Theft — this was also lots of fun. My favorite situation was
honing in on a woman who was stealing money from the till at Walmart. There was
a whole investigation and a camera pointing at her register. We caught her slipping
$100 notes in her pocket RIGHT ON CAMERA. The police were waiting for her and
everything.
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