id: d7617696-6dc0-11ee-9246-2b35c6455521
Difficult to Speak Out About Dismissing Employees? How Should Managers Overcome the "Shame of Firing" - Huxiu.com#
Omnivore#
Highlights#
Elimination is also part of management ⤴️ ^7452043e
Elimination is also part of management.
"Give him more time, he will get better" ⤴️ ^bfc22390
Here, according to the principles in "Principles," it is necessary to determine whether it is a skill problem or an ability problem. If it is a skill problem, it can be improved through training. If it is an ability problem, then the only option is to eliminate and replace the person. When selecting people at the ability level rather than cultivating them.
Individuals with high affinity motivation usually perform weaker in management positions compared to managers with lower affinity motivation. Because when they have to take tough measures, they often have difficulty fulfilling their responsibilities effectively. ⤴️ ^4adb6b7d
Therefore, maintaining a certain distance from employees is the only option for managers with high affinity power, but it is useful.
Dismissal warning mechanism ⤴️ ^44f097f2
The position and role of managers in the team are crucial, and persuading employees to leave is one of their responsibilities. As the saying goes, "Don't air your dirty laundry," employees prefer to communicate with their leaders rather than HR. HR is an outsider to employees, and employees are unwilling to let outsiders see their emotional state.
Therefore, if managers can personally handle it, they can better protect the interests and image of the company, and also leave dignity and respect for employees. Managers understand the thoughts and feelings of employees, and can better handle employees' objections and emotions based on their personalities and motivations. ⤴️ ^82aa8616
Direct supervisors need to get involved.
Difficult to Speak Out About Dismissing Employees? How Should Managers Overcome the "Shame of Firing"#
This article explores the internal obstacles that managers face when firing employees, how to alleviate the shame of firing, and provides some correct ways to dismiss employees.
• Managers should be aware that firing employees is one of their responsibilities and should not avoid this issue.
• The warning mechanism can reduce employees' backlash emotions, and informing employees in advance helps them mentally prepare.
• Thinking about dismissal from the perspective of the company's labor costs and employee development can alleviate the shame felt by managers.
Recently, a friend who is in management complained to me that the department needs to adjust its structure and reduce staff, and he is required to provide a list of employees to be eliminated and persuade them to leave.
He is reluctant to do this, feeling like an executioner, feeling guilty and anxious, not knowing how to face the employees or how to communicate with them.
I believe there are many managers similar to this friend, who usually leave the task of firing to the human resources department to handle. However, this contradicts the obligation of managers to "select, cultivate, use, retain, and eliminate" personnel, which is a mandatory course for managers.
Today, let's take a look at the internal obstacles we face when firing employees and how to overcome them.
I. Management awareness is trapped in a quagmire
With the economic downturn in the market for the past three years, many companies are under cost pressure, and the cruel "vitality curve" is applied in performance management.
As a result, firing employees has become a normalized event, and performance evaluations and interviews have become things that managers are very reluctant to face. However, when it comes to persuading employees to leave, managers often procrastinate or fall into certain management pitfalls.
"Give him more time, he will get better"
Many corporate managers only focus on revenue and do not have assessments or concepts regarding costs. Cost targets become the company's responsibility, while making money is the manager's responsibility.
The different concepts between the two lead to managers not having a sense of urgency when dealing with low-performing employees. They firmly believe that the employees will improve with "talent development" as an excuse, ignoring the contradiction of mismatched skills and positions.
There are coaching-style managers in the workplace who personally recruit and mentor employees, investing a lot of time, money, or other resources in their growth.
When an employee's performance is poor, they will repeatedly coach the employee to improve their performance. After investing a lot of time, money, or other resources, they will continue to make efforts and are unwilling to give up, fearing that they will have to start from scratch with a new recruit. In psychology, this is called the "sunk cost fallacy."
Therefore, when it comes to firing these low-performing employees, managers are trapped in the stubborn belief that they are unwilling to give up. They hold onto the delusion that "if I coach him more, he will not be eliminated" or "if I had discovered his problems and stopped them in time, the result would not be like this today."
"Having someone is better than having no one"
Managers' performance evaluations are like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. In order to pass the performance evaluation safely every year, managers constantly focus on KPIs to arrange work.
Even if some employees perform poorly, they compromise for the sake of performance.
They may think that having someone is better than having no one. They are unwilling to fire underperforming employees, and a common reason is that they do not want to have "vacancies" in the team. Underperforming employees can still contribute to the work, and firing them will cause projects to stagnate and KPIs to not be met.
If an employee is fired and their workload is distributed to others, it may affect their emotions and subsequently affect the overall team's morale, which is not a result that managers want to see.
If an employee is fired, how long will it take to find a replacement? How long will it take to train a new person to be competent in the position? These are factors that managers consider when making a decision.
Both from the perspective of individual and team interests, performance evaluations restrict the ability to fire employees, turning it into a shameful task.
Here, it is important to emphasize that when setting performance indicators for managers, companies should consider not only revenue, output, or project progress but also some people-related indicators, input-output ratios, etc. This will enable managers to have a more holistic view of the company's interests, team interests, and individual interests.
II. Emotional obstacles are at play
Many managers are well-versed in emotional management, forming emotional connections and communication with employees, meeting their psychological needs, and creating a harmonious working atmosphere.
This management style makes it easy for employees to feel stable and secure, and it fosters loyalty and a sense of belonging.
However, when managers fire employees, it means the rupture of the emotional relationship between the two parties. Employees may have strong emotional reactions, and managers may feel shame due to the betrayal of emotions.
Fear of damaging the team atmosphere
In psychology, there is a term called the "safety effect," which means "many hands make light work" - people cannot lose the source of their power, the necessary environment for survival and development. This reminds managers to be good at creating a good collective environment and establishing a collective consciousness.
In the workplace, it is often seen that when long-serving employees are fired, it can cause a butterfly effect and trigger a seismic shift in the team. Colleagues who have a good relationship with the fired employee may become passive, resist the leader's arrangements, or even leave the company with the fired employee.
This concern leads high-affinity motivation managers into another pitfall.
These "affinity" managers tend to prioritize safety and do not want to see conflicts within the team caused by firing employees. They are afraid that firing employees will harm team morale.
They usually believe that firing employees is not conducive to boosting morale. They tell themselves that not firing someone is to prevent the team from losing motivation. When they have to face firing an employee, they also feel guilty because the team atmosphere has been disrupted.
Research also shows that individuals with high affinity motivation usually perform weaker in management positions compared to managers with lower affinity motivation. Because when they have to take tough measures, they often have difficulty fulfilling their responsibilities effectively.
Excessive empathy for employees' situations
Emotional connections allow managers to empathize with their subordinates' thoughts and feelings, creating empathy. However, it is easy to fall into the "empathy trap." Generally, empathy requires us to focus on others' needs without sacrificing our own needs.
But while standing in others' shoes, we must strike a balance between emotions and rationality, self and others. Otherwise, empathy can become a trap, and we will feel like we are being held hostage by others' emotions.
Therefore, when managers say to an employee, "We have to let you go," they often feel a strong sense of shame. They feel that the employee's failure is also their own failure.
They think, "If I had coached him more in the past, he would not have been fired" or "If I had discovered his problems and stopped them in time, the result would not be like this today." These thoughts, under the influence of empathy, turn into self-blame and emotional venting.
Compliant personality disorder
"Compliant personality disorder," also known as a pleasing personality, is a personality type that ignores one's own needs, behaves understandingly, thinks for others, and is afraid of conflicts and offending others.
This type of personality is an enemy of management. They feel uncomfortable assigning tasks to subordinates, reprimanding subordinates for mistakes face-to-face, and putting pressure on them...
In negotiations, these managers play the role of a "good person" to the end, shifting the blame to the company, distancing themselves, and trying to leave a good impression on employees.
It is common to hear managers say things like, "This time, it is a decision made by the company's top management, and I cannot influence it. If you have any requests, feel free to tell me, and I will try my best to help you."
This kind of communication maintains their "good person" image in the team but does not fundamentally eliminate the "guilt" in their hearts or make employees feel sincere.
III. How to Alleviate the Shame of Firing
Firing employees is an unavoidable test for managers. They cannot find someone to take the test for them; it is a problem that managers need to face.
After discussing some of the psychological obstacles that managers face when firing employees, let's talk about some practical ways to "fire employees" correctly. Here are a few suggestions for consideration.
Dismissal warning mechanism
The so-called "dismissal warning" is to let employees know in advance through normal channels that they may be dismissed, helping them mentally and economically prepare.
Some companies dismiss employees without prior notice, fearing that employees will become emotionally unstable and the situation will escalate, causing "instability." The usual approach is to inform employees on the same day and complete the procedures within two days. This leaves employees in the dark, suddenly receiving the news, causing their emotions to become unbalanced, leading to arguments or even destructive behavior.
Dismissal of employees will inevitably cause intense fluctuations in the company's morale in the short term, but we need to consider reducing the impact to a controllable range.
Providing advance warning allows employees to be mentally prepared in advance. From the employee's perspective, it is a respectful approach and can reduce the emotional backlash from being fired. When managers conduct dismissal interviews, it will not give the impression of being sudden and heartless. However, this preparation period should not be too long, as it may allow emotions to escalate during this "preparation period."
Let leadership responsibilities return
The position and role of managers in the team are crucial, and persuading employees to leave is one of their responsibilities. As the saying goes, "Don't air your dirty laundry," employees prefer to communicate with their leaders rather than HR. HR is an outsider to employees, and employees are unwilling to let outsiders see their emotional state.
Therefore, if managers can handle it personally, they can better protect the interests and image of the company, and also leave dignity and respect for employees. Managers understand the thoughts and feelings of employees and can better handle employees' objections and emotions based on their personalities and motivations.
In the specific communication process, managers should approach the dismissal interview with the understanding of "good for the company, good for the employee." This will help them avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Thinking from the perspective of the company's labor costs. Managers should not hastily handle the dismissal of low-performing employees, as it will result in resource waste and additional costs for low-performing employees, leading to significant potential cost losses for the company.
For example, a low-performing salesperson who consistently lags behind in the department's performance. However, the leader hesitates to fire them, and they occupy a position in the company, inevitably affecting the company's value-added capabilities. If they are replaced with a moderately performing salesperson, the company's revenue will increase every month.
Similarly, low-performing employees are usually those who lack professional ethics and have low work motivation. Their attitude can affect a good team culture and working atmosphere, turning some employees into low performers, resulting in inefficiency losses for the company. Collective resignations in some companies are likely the result of these low-performing employees.
Thinking from the perspective of employee development. Firing is a reminder to employees that their current platform does not match their development. Leaving the company and transitioning to another may allow them to perform better.
In reality, some employees have reached a bottleneck in the company and want to leave but are afraid of the uncertainties outside and are attached to their comfort zone, making their situation worse. Firing helps them make a choice and gives hesitant employees a reason not to retreat.
When we consider firing from the perspective of the company and employee benefits, it can alleviate the shame felt by managers.
Providing solutions and resource support for employees
Dismissal interviews are highly professional tasks. If not handled carefully, they can lead to labor risks and push employees into labor arbitration.
To alleviate the shame felt by managers when firing employees, they need to be well-informed.
Managers must have a complete set of dismissal processes and plans, and provide corresponding training, including how to persuade employees to leave and how to deal with potential issues and objections. Managers should be provided with sufficient support, including assistance from HR or other subordinates, legal advice, etc. This will help managers better understand the details and feasibility of the entire situation, making it easier for them to handle the situation.
Considerations for dismissal negotiations:
- Sufficient preparation before negotiations. Collect sufficient written evidence to make the negotiations persuasive. Understand the employee's recent emotions and choose a favorable time and place for negotiations.
- Maintain a warm atmosphere during negotiations. Engage in open and gentle conversations with employees, weakening their resistance. Actively listen to unreasonable demands and impolite language from employees, but there is no need to directly express a position or provide an immediate response. Clearly and thoroughly explain the content while respecting the employee's dignity.
- Show empathy after negotiations. Regarding the act of firing, try to keep it confidential for the employee. If the employee is not at fault, if possible, do everything possible to help the employee find a new job.
In conclusion, a qualified manager should consider the development of subordinates not only when hiring but also during the firing process.
The "shame of firing" felt by managers is not a display of kindness but rather a result of emotional and performance-related factors that restrict them from facing the conflicts of firing.
This is a hidden harm to both the company and individual employees.
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