How to Fire Someone

There are three ways to screw up when firing someone, according to Jack Welch in his book Winning (with Suzy Welch). They are:

• Moving too fast
• Not using enough candor, and
• Taking too long.

Moving too fast means firing someone before you have the facts, before you've filed the paperwork, before you are sure you are even firing the right person. That's bound to make an honest man cranky--maybe cranky enough to file a complaint against you.

When you don't use enough candor, the person being fired knows you are lying or holding back and they  want to know the truth. Leaving without knowing why makes anger linger, and it may linger long enough for your former employee to find a lawyer to get the truth.

Taking too long just makes everyone mad. The other employees are mad because they see some yo-yo getting away with murder while you do nothing about it. It makes customers mad because they aren't getting the service they deserve from this loser. It makes the employee mad when you finally confront them, after all, they've been getting away with murder for months, maybe years. Finally, it should make you make because employees that suck are also sucking money out of your wallet.

I don't want to say, "Fire early, fire often," but if you are a supervisor or manager, hiring and FIRING is part of your job. It's not complicated, but it is hard. It can be very hard to fire someone you've known for years, someone who used to be a good employee. That's why it is so important to do it right. No surprises!