Question:
I’ve been told to never to fire an employee on Friday, but I really don’t want this employee back Monday.
I’d think Friday would be the best day to fire someone, so they could have the weekend to get over it before looking for a new job on Monday.
Answer:
Few employees “get over” being fired in two days. It’s a major blow, particularly now, when record numbers of unemployed workers flood the job market.
Instead, your employee will have two whole days to consider what an “unfair idiot” you are, how wronged they were, and to work up enough anger to contact an attorney or regulatory agency on Monday. They also have the weekend to tell their side of the story to friends and family who may know exactly the right attorney.
If you have to fire an employee, do so in the beginning or middle of the week so they have time to take positive action, such as filing for unemployment and submitting their resume for jobs that interest them. They may quickly find several job opportunities that make them feel your firing of them might turn into a blessing.
Also, if you can, find a time when few others are in the office, for example, over the noon hour or at the end of the day. It’s best if your employee can pack up their personal items and leave when few others are present, so they don’t need a full audience for their “walk of shame” or have to engage in uncomfortable conversations.
© 2020, Lynne Curry
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Lynne Curry is the author of “Beating the Workplace Bully” (AMACOM, 2016) and “Solutions” (both books are rated 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com). Send your questions to her at lynnewriter10@gmail.com or follow her on twitter @lynnecurry10.
Lynne, your advice is wise here, and I couldn’t agree more. A boss is just opening themself trouble giving the fired worker the weekend to think over things and want to get revenge. I like the ideas about the beginning or middle of the week–gives the firee time to apply for other jobs, work on their resume, etc. If the boos fired the employee first thing on Monday a.m., the person would be around only a minimal amount of time on Monday–probably a better way of reaching the goal of not seeing thee person around on Monday.