You're Getting Fired This Afternoon: A Note From the Founder

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou

You don't know it yet, but today is your last day at the company.

I hope you'll know that I never wanted this to happen, not least of all because I really like you. But I have to ensure each person addresses a set of the company's needs the way they need to be met. And your work results show that hasn't been happening for awhile.

I hope you'll also understand that I have to cut your access to all company information and materials today. Once we both know your employment is ending, if I let you keep access and then something happens with that information, that would add a problem that neither of us wants to deal with. And having been through this myself, I know that after today you won't want to return to the office anyway. So today being your last day is really the only reasonable option we have, even if I hate how brutal that is. I know it feels personal; I hope you'll know it's not.

Contrary to what TV would lead you to believe, employers almost never explode in a fit of rage, put their finger in someone's face and with blazing eyes scream "YOU'RE FIRED!" Any manager worth his salt sees his teammates as human beings and never takes these situations lightly.

That's the case here: the decision to let you go was made weeks ago. We could have kept this from happening after your last annual review when we re-set your objectives, after our last impromptu discussion in your office, after the one in my office, after the last special training session I asked you to attend, and maybe even after our last formal "convocation" when I said I was really concerned we weren't getting things right: all of those were moments to discuss how to keep this from happening. All of those were messages from me that things had to improve dramatically. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, and now there is no turning back.

Since the result of our meeting today isn't going to change no matter what is said, I hope that after I deliver the news you'll take a deep breath and say, "I'm sorry we won't be working together anymore, but you never know where the future might lead. I hope our paths will cross again." That will give me a last impression of you that's the same as the first: that you're professional, and someone I could work with. And if there are some final points to negotiate, I can guarantee it will make the process run more smoothly.

I won’t tell you this in our meeting, but because you're not going to work here anymore I now have to do a bunch of things I never wanted to do:

1. Deliver this bad news: Seeing how this will make you feel is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I'll be stoic and matter of fact this afternoon, but inside I'm torn apart. Knowing your day will be worse than mine makes me feel even worse
2. Spend a lot of money. No matter how much or little you’re paid in severance, the cost to replace you is high. I so desperately would have preferred to just keep paying your salary to keep you here
3. Your job and mine: I'm going to do them both poorly now, since for the moment I'll be responsible for both but won't have enough time for either
4. Find another you: write and post the job description, sort through resumes, interview candidates, prepare an offer and negotiate the details of your replacement's arrival
5. Train your replacement. S/he won't know what you know right away: the acronyms, the deadlines, the company's history, that customer and that supplier, etc. S/he'll most likely have to learn everything from scratch

Based on the above, can you understand how much I didn't want this to happen? Maybe *I* deserve to be fired for not having successfully made you successful (and maybe one day I will be). I've racked my brain trying to figure out how I could have done more to change that. But at the most basic level I wanted you to succeed and tried to do all I could to help (short of actually doing your job). It didn't work. I have to take action.

When you were hired (read here how I felt about you when that happened) it was based on the belief you would turn this issue we were having into a positive for the company. You were here to resolve that issue, not just attack it. For awhile it seemed like you were on the right path. Even though the results weren't there, it takes time to get results with almost every job and I can be patient. Some coaching felt necessary along the way, too. All of that is ok.

But as more time passed, not only did the results not come but you stopped proposing process improvements and new ideas that showed you were motivated to make us more efficient and profitable. Recently you've said many times that you've "already tried that and it doesn't work". When you say stuff like that I instead hear, "If you want someone to do that you'll have to get someone else." But I need someone to do it now. If you can't or won't do it I have no choice but to find a solution that works.

And between you and me, family issues are causing you to miss more and more work (especially your third grandmother, who is apparently quite ill at the moment), and you take vacations without regard to the impact of their timing. Of course you can take vacation, but did it have to be the week of that really important thing we had? I can’t help wondering if you’ve already checked out. Maybe you’ve taken another job and are just pulling down a salary here until you can start the new one? If so, I get it: why leave money on the table? But I can’t let that happen on my watch unless you're terribly effective (which isn't the case): it costs the company money and sends the wrong message.

Keeping you here would not only ensure we fail to reach your objectives, but would tell the rest of the team that mediocrity and lack of effort are tolerated. Your colleagues may not tell you that you’ve slipped, but they've been telling me for awhile. It wouldn't bother me if they weren't right, but I started noticing it too, a long time ago. I have to address that.

Hence our meeting this afternoon. You don't know about it yet, but I'll stop by shortly to ask if you can come by my office in a few minutes. I'll have someone else there when you arrive, because it's not legally smart to do this one on one. I'm dreading this and wish it could be different. I hope one day you'll understand why it can't be.

I wish you all the best as you go forward. Please believe me when I say I bear you no ill will. I'll sleep poorly tonight - as I have for awhile - knowing that I’ve just taken away the livelihood of someone I genuinely care about. But we have to get better. I'm counting on it being the best thing in the end for all of us.

I'm sorry.
Your future ex-boss

By Dave Ashton

Thomas Wharton is President of LIFOCUS, Inc, a human resources consulting firm in Rhode Island, providing Career & Transition Coaching, Outplacement, ExecutiveCoaching, Assessments and 
Leadership Development. Tom can be reached at 401.884.7959 ? [email protected]. ? www.lifocus.com ?@careercoachTW