Firing Someone.

So I think I can officially say that I am an adult now. I fired someone at work this morning. I've wanted to fire this person for a while but was afraid to. Partly because firing someone that you manage makes you face the possibility that maybe you are the problem. That maybe you didn't train them or you didn't provide them with what they need to do their job. I went through this and decided that while there were definitely things I probably could have done better as a manager, there are some people that are just not going to do the job they should be doing, in the most efficient and beneficial way possible for the company. This employee was much older than me and has pretty much questioned my authority since the start (ok, I was just watching Southpark so all that is running through my head right now is Cartman say "Don't question my Au-thor-a-TAY"... but I digress). When we hired her, we started her at a lot more money than we were planning on paying someone because she sounded like she might be worth it. However, we should have known better when my boss and I ran in to her former boss at a work event a few months ago. When he asked us how she was working out (she wasn't) we said "things are working" he responded with a surprising look on his face and said "Really, well that's good. Unexpected but good." Ok, so that right there should have been enough to send her in front of the firing squad but my boss is too nice and I don't have that much experience being a manager so I was hesitant to take such a dramatic step. I wanted to eliminate the chance that it might be my managerial skills before I resorted to that. I am so over the fact that this is in any way my fault...after all I still have my job. Ok that was so mean but true.

Anyways, the official decision to fire her was made on Friday, after she had been sick all week. My boss and another manager made the decision that it would be a 'good character building exercise, as well as good experience" for me to do the firing. I have to admit I was excited about firing her. Not excited in the whole "jumping up and down clapping my hands like I am a kid who just got a pony for her birthday" excited but excited in the whole "she has questioned my authority for the last 7 months and now I finally get to show her that I really did/do have say over her making it or not in that position and at this company" kind of way. It's a weird feeling but I know that the decision was the right one. You want to know how I knew it was the right one...all weekend I have been reading books and reading articles online about how to fire someone. About what not to say when firing someone, about what TO say to someone when firing them, about making sure you have documentation on top of documentation before you fire someone, even what color to wear when your firing someone (you should wear green in case you are wondering, don't ask me why but some Internet color psychologist says so...). I read and re-read articles. So many of them were people (CEO's, business owners, etc.) telling stories of their first time having to fire someone. A common theme in all of them was that none of then could sleep the night before they knew they had to fire someone in the morning. I slept like a baby! I kid you not I didn't wake up once from the time my head hit he pillow to when my alarm went off. This is how I knew it was the right decision. Keep in mind, just because I knew it was the right decision, didn't make it any easier.

How was I, some 24 year girl supposed to fire a 56 year old woman? I tell you how...I wore my black slacks, my green shirt and my sexy new black pumps (for confidence) and I wrote out a script of what to say to her (kept it short like the articles say, and yes, they actually say to write out a script...it really does help, if you ever are in the position of having to fire someone) and I was totally fine and confidant until I was about 2 miles from work. Then I started getting all nervous and breathing short and fast and my hands were shaking...oh my god, I don't think I have been that nervous...ever, not even when I am talking to the sexy dog park guy. So I got to work at about 8:30 (this was planned because of some other staff scheduling). When I got there she was helping a client and after she was done I asked her finish up what she was doing and then I wanted to meet with her. I brought her into my office and recited my script that I had read over probably 100 times (the script makes sure that you saying everything that you should and don't say anything that you shouldn't). My voice was actually shaking when I was telling her this. It was very short and to the point. She didn't say anything except 'Ok' and she got her things, gave me her keys and left the office. Now I have to tell you, this person is a bit of a drama queen and very blunt so I was expecting 1 of 2 options (1-she would be very quiet, just like what happened and 2-she would become a raging b***t and call me every cuss word in the book, as well as possibly trying to knock me unconscious). I have to admit I was almost more prepared for the second option of being knocked unconscious that for the first option. It was a little un-nerving for her to be so quiet. But it is over (in less that 10 minutes she had been let go and had left the building). I also have to admit that I was in a better mood for the rest of the day than I have probably been in at work since she started. I never thought she was the right choice but was kind of out-voted when she was hired but I truely feel that it was valuable experience. Not one I hope or want to repeat very often, but confidant that I know I can do it if the situation calls for it. While it sucks that this morning I cut someone off from their source of income (but it was truely justified, keep in mind), it is a power trip and a confidance booster that your boss trusts you enough to put you in a position that really holds quite a bit of responsiblity and power.

One of the strangest things to me is that the incidents of an ex-employee suing for wrongful termination actually increases if positive things are said to that person during the firing process. Isn't that ridiculous? It is really hard to not say anything nice, because really this person did have some great qualities, her bad ones just outweighed her good ones and it was hard to not say something nice. It's hard to leave it as being a completely negative experience but you have to otherwise you put yourself and your company at risk. I find it completely ridiculous that even in a state that is a 'right to work' state, and even at a job where when you start you sign an agreement that says you are entering into an 'at-will' position (meaning that both the employee and employer have the right to terminate the employment at the will of either party with or without reason), that you still have to worry about whether or not an incompetent employee will sue you for wrongful termination. Now I am all for anti-discrimination laws, but but if someone isn't doing their job, or isn't doing it well, why shouldn't a private business have the right to end their employment (as agreed upon when the employee was hired) with or without a specific reason in an attempt to improve overall employee satisfaction, profit or over all company well-being? In my opinion employers should have more a right to sue an employee who doesn't give a decent amount of notice than an incompetent employee does to sue a company if they were fired because..get this...THEY WEREN'T DOING THEIR JOB!