You're Fired!

“You’re Fired!”  Never pleasant words to hear; and not a pleasant moment for the boss nor the employee. Nevertheless, sometimes it has to be done.  As a young entrepreneur, this is actually one of the most difficult tasks for me to tackle.  How do I tell someone that they’re not of use to me and that I do not want to see them again?  That might not really be what I think of the person, but when I’m using the words “You’re fired,” it is exactly what my employee is hearing.

I have fired a countless number of people since I started running my business. And it is never easy and I always second guess myself.  Is it the right decision?  What if he has his side of the story?  Maybe something is happening at his home that is affecting his work performance. A ton of “What ifs,” and “Maybes” fly through my head before I actually drop the axe.

Just about a week ago, I had to let go of someone who I considered a friend.  We used to have wine together on a weekly basis. It was extremely hard for me to make the decision to fire her. She was an hourly employee, and she decided to milk the clock by arriving an hour and a half earlier and leaving work forty minutes later than scheduled. I wouldn’t have had a problem with this if she could have shown me she was also producing more.  To the contrary, she had been producing even less with the extended hours.   I could see she was clearly taking advantage of my company -- I had to let her go.

With some experience, I have come to realize that there is one sure test of whether or not I should fire someone.  It is all premised on trust.  I ask myself, “Do I trust this person?”  If the answer is “Maybe” or “No,” then I simply let that person go.