In the 2009 film “Up in the Air,” George Clooney makes a career out of the firing people. In the movie he has reservations about his lifestyle — travels too much, no wife/kids — but he likes his job.
But he was a movie character, and I believe, an outlier.
Most people don’t enjoy firing people.
It’s an uncomfortable personal setting where tension and emotions run high. Even as bad as some employees can be, it tough to look someone in the eye and tell them they are now unemployed, and one a lot of business professional like to avoid.
In situations where it has to be done, it’s important to follow a rigid list of rules to make sure all your T’s are crossed and your I’s are dotted.
“It’s much more difficult to let somebody go than it is to hire them,” says R. Eddie Wayland, partner at King & Ballow in Nashville. “I think it’s helpful if you have some procedures in place (that) everybody follows them. But I think the more specific you try to make it, the more problematic it can become.”
For more tips from Wayland and other attorneys on proper techniques for terminating employees, check out this Successful Dealer feature.
