I've fired folks and been fired and there is absolutely a difference between good firings and bad firings. A good firing is one where the manager has laid out the problem long in advance and given the employee the opportunity to fix it. (Some will argue that being put on a "plan" is just HR cover and that the firing is imminent, but that certainly wasn't the case with me. I wanted them to improve.) In general, my philosophy is that any true firing (non layoff) should be easy for the employee to see coming a mile away. If not, then you're not communicating well.
If you've told a guy "look, you're a salesperson and you need to make X calls per day" and then they don't make those calls, well then you've given them a chance and they blew it. They knew they blew it and so the subsequent firing is both understandable and foreseeable.
My own firing came out of nowhere and made no sense. 6 weeks prior I'd been given a raise. It was so egregious and personal, the manager himself was fired a few months later. Possibly the most flabbergasting part is that the company was scared to hire me back due to fears id harbor a grusge, gather evidence and sue them for something else later (which wasn't true). The whole thing was shocking and confusing to the point that I went through the stages of grief. It also shattered my faith that the world works in predictable ways: if you're a loyal, hard worker with a great performance record, you have nothing to worry about. Suddenly that safety was just gone. In subsequent jobs, no matter how well they say I'm doing, I feel I could be axed at any moment. It's a horrible feeling. I have very real scars from it. (Obviously.)
So in other words, these are human beings. They deserve an explanation. They deserve a chance to do better (if it's performance related) and maybe they deserve a sincere apology for bringing them into a position that isn't working put like both parties had hoped.
So yes, and this is very personal to me, there are good and bad ways to do it. Anyone who says otherwise shouldn't be employing or managing anyone.
If you've told a guy "look, you're a salesperson and you need to make X calls per day" and then they don't make those calls, well then you've given them a chance and they blew it. They knew they blew it and so the subsequent firing is both understandable and foreseeable.
My own firing came out of nowhere and made no sense. 6 weeks prior I'd been given a raise. It was so egregious and personal, the manager himself was fired a few months later. Possibly the most flabbergasting part is that the company was scared to hire me back due to fears id harbor a grusge, gather evidence and sue them for something else later (which wasn't true). The whole thing was shocking and confusing to the point that I went through the stages of grief. It also shattered my faith that the world works in predictable ways: if you're a loyal, hard worker with a great performance record, you have nothing to worry about. Suddenly that safety was just gone. In subsequent jobs, no matter how well they say I'm doing, I feel I could be axed at any moment. It's a horrible feeling. I have very real scars from it. (Obviously.)
So in other words, these are human beings. They deserve an explanation. They deserve a chance to do better (if it's performance related) and maybe they deserve a sincere apology for bringing them into a position that isn't working put like both parties had hoped.
So yes, and this is very personal to me, there are good and bad ways to do it. Anyone who says otherwise shouldn't be employing or managing anyone.