why are employees blindsided when I fire them after warning them that I might? by Alison Green on March 7, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve twice now been put in the tough situation of needing to fire someone after they failed their PIP now, but I don’t know how to make it less surprising and traumatizing for the person on the other side. Both calls ended with me consoling them as they cry for an hour […] Read the full article →
why do so many managers do firings and layoffs at the end of the day? by Alison Green on July 7, 2022 A reader writes: Why do so many managers do firings and layoffs at the end of the day? I had a work friend who got let go. I don’t personally think they should have been, but I acknowledge I don’t have all the details. That said, the way they did it seemed crappy. My company […] Read the full article →
my coworkers were fired … am I next? by Alison Green on May 17, 2022 A reader writes: For the last three months, I’ve worked at a small company doing a job I love. But there’s been some weirdness lately that makes me worry about my job. Here’s what’s going on: multiple people have been fired in a three-month period. They were all “not good fits” for various reasons that […] Read the full article →
can you give an employee time to find a new job before they’re fired? by Alison Green on October 6, 2021 A reader writes: I am going to need to fire someone for low performance even though she’s trying hard. I have already laid out a performance plan and those goals have not been met. It is 100% clear that the employee does not have what it takes for the role. I would like to give […] Read the full article →
I was fired for taking initiative (and undermining my manager) by Alison Green on September 20, 2021 I’m on vacation today. This was originally published in 2016. A reader writes: Last summer, I decided to re-enter the workforce after five years of raising my kids. I applied to a bunch of jobs that I thought I could do, and got an interview at this one very small company (~20 employees). The people I interviewed with […] Read the full article →
my former coworkers hired me to work for them … but it was a bait and switch, they fired me, and I’m ashamed by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 A reader writes: I was recently fired from my job. I never thought I would find myself in this position, and while mentally I am struggling to get past the emotional aspect of it, I know I have to push through and focus on finding another job. My situation was a bit uncommon. A few […] Read the full article →
I had to fire someone and I feel like a failure by Alison Green on March 8, 2021 A reader writes: I’m in a position that I’ve never been in before. In 2018, I took on a really exciting role with a new company building a team from the ground up. I hired a handful of people, and got to work setting up the new team and really helping to grow a new […] Read the full article →
my employee fired someone whose mother had died the night before by Alison Green on February 2, 2021 A reader writes: I have a manager who works for me, Ezra. He has an employee, Fergus, who has been having performance issues and has been verbally reprimanded as well as had his performance issues documented with HR. While Fergus is a very intelligent and respectful person, he simply does not possess the skills needed […] Read the full article →
should we let an employee resign instead of being fired? by Alison Green on January 13, 2021 A reader writes: I am the director of a pretty independent division in my company. I do most of the supervision but have been having my assistant director, Mark, take on more supervision tasks as a growth area. Some of the staff are co-supervised depending on work assignments. A junior employee in their first year […] Read the full article →
I can’t fire a terrible employee by Alison Green on November 10, 2020 A reader writes: I’m the manager at a growing professional services firm. I’m in charge of a lot of things, but the company owners have the final say in hiring or firing, and I’m stuck in a situation where the owners won’t fire a terrible employee. Bad Fit was hired for a position that it […] Read the full article →