and don’t feel like a dick the day after
Try hiring the right person first
No one is perfect. But we just need people who are perfect for the role.
But more often than not, even such people are hard to find. So it’s important to remember:
Be aware of the person’s drawbacks and think about how you and your team can improve or teach the person.
During the probation period keep a close eye on the person’s performance. Receive feedback or make weekly calls.
Ask your peers for advice. They all dealt with such cases at some point, so might have valuable advice.
Firing should not come as a surprise
Firing is the last resort measure.
Before firing you should spend time trying to save the employee: give more feedback and more deadlines.
You should be sure that there is no other way forward.
But at the end of the day, the life of the project and the team is most important. So if a person is dragging the team down and is not meeting the standards of your project, they should leave.
Firing a creative employee
Firing a creative person is even more difficult, as creativity and the fruits of such labour can be subjective at times.
It is thus crucial to:
Document measurable key performance indicators where possible.
Receive constant feedback from people working with the person in question.
Deep dive yourself into the work of the employee.
Reasons to fire
The most common cases are:
The person is underperforming for a long period.
The person is toxiс.
There are more, but inherently, they have the same two roots.
A. Case of underperforming
That is usually the case if:
The person is repeatedly missing the deadlines for a significant period (2 weeks +).
The quality of their work is significantly lower than that of their colleagues (good to ask for a second opinion).
They don’t listen to feedback and deny any issues.
They don’t show any will to change or improve.
It’s important to have a tracking system for relevant KPIs. If you have one, and the person is not meeting their KPIs, there might be a few exceptions:
Are the KPIs reasonable?
Can they be changed in this particular case?
Is it critical that the person will not be meeting them? Does the employee in question have other strengths?
Answer those to better understand the employee and your further actions.
B. Case of toxic behaviour
What is toxic behaviour?
Spreading a depressing vibe across the team.
Continuous criticism of the team’s goals and decisions.
Trash talk behind people’s backs.
Setting lower performance standards for the whole team.
Making people uncomfortable based on personal, racial, sexual characteristics.
Missing team meetings and ignoring team-building activities.
Asking other colleagues about their salaries.
Communicate and monitor
The employee should know that they are not meeting your expectations.
Explain why is it important for you and the team that the person changes or improves.
Listen to the person’s reasons and move forward accordingly.
Have regular checkpoints to control the progress
Give feedback and encourage them to improve
If a full-time employee’s performance drops, try mitigating this case as much as possible.
Not only give second and third chances, but:
Create a personal development plan with clear deadlines.
If possible, find new tasks or a new role for the person.
Your goal is to put the right people in the right design. Think if their skills and values might fit another position. If so, wait to see how they perform.
Don’t use intimidating language, such as: unless, failing that, if not, otherwise, etc.
Firing is NOT always bad
If you did all of the mentioned above you did your best to save the employee. Firing underperforming (yet nice) or toxic (but effective) people is vital for achieving your goal in the long run.
Tips for the actual firing
The person will feel shitty anyways, so you might as well help yourself not to feel that shitty.
Stay away from impulsive decisions. Have a day to think about your final decision and your main speech points.
Don’t be vague in your language, but don’t use Trump’s favourite: “You’re fired”
Use words like: letting you go, moving separately, etc
Circle back to the core problem.
Explain that both of you should continue moving in separate ways. Make the person feel better about it, and as an opportunity to try something new rather than losing a job.
Remember that if a good person is underperforming, they are not loving their job, and that is a good argument for anyone to accept the firing.
Say that they can use you as a reference (but don’t promise any specific feedback).
Explain the process in detail and when your decision will take effect:
When exactly will be the last day
What is expected from the person until then
What will be the final compensation, and whether it will include the unused vacation, days off, etc.
Don’t forget to ask if the person wants to say anything