Most of the time people are let go because they are not the right person for the job or they are not performing. I firmly believe in the expression, “People fire themselves.” But, as an owner, even dismissing someone deservedly can be very challenging, especially if that person is not your direct report.
If this is the situation, the person who gives notice of termination should be their immediate supervisor. However, if their manager does not have the issues that you have with the employee, or does not feel it is much of a problem as you think it is, there is the additional challenge of getting them on board with your point of view. Of course, if the employee is an immediate threat to the company, they have to go right away no matter what. But say they are in a grey zone. You might feel the employee is limited and the position could be filled with someone better, yet they are still getting their essential duties done, or the employee could have a negative attitude and can’t work with others. To me, these seem to be two consistent themes, and when I see these red flags, I usually believe the situation is beyond repair.
Unfortunately, their manager does not always see it as quickly. In this case, I usually let the manager know that I’m having issues, what they are and back it up with concrete examples and reasons. If the manager wants to keep the employee, it’s up to them to monitor this person’s work performance and attitude. At times, a good manager can turn the employee around, and in my business this has happened over the years though it has been the exception more than the rule.
More often they’ve eventually realized that the employee was not the right fit. The benefit to this process is that the manager begins to realize where the CEO/owner is coming from and get some training as to how to think like an owner. In addition, the manager will also feel you have not undermined their authority. The hope is that going forward, the manger will be more likely to detect the warning signs even before you see it and nip it in bud, one way or another.
