Here's a question. Let's say you manage a dispersed team, and it becomes necessary to terminate someone at a remote site. It's not a RIF — perhaps the issue is performance, or something even more difficult. And let's say that traveling there probably would be a two-night stay, because of the flight schedules and time required "on the ground." You're tempted to do it by phone, or videoconference, or something not involving travel. Is that OK?
It's probably not OK. Actually making the trip is better for the employee, better for the company, and probably better for you.
The temptation to find an "easier" way comes about because we don't usually have budget to cover such travel. But the root of the problem isn't a shortage of money. If you suddenly found an error in projected materials prices, you'd find the money somewhere, right?
Rather, the root of the problem is a mistake in setting priorities. When the budget was first approved, someone failed to allocate for the cost of distant terminations. Now, facing unplanned expenditure, that error isn't seen as important enough to put right.
Choosing to find a more "cost effective" method of termination only makes it possible for the company to continue to act irresponsibly. By taking responsibility for this problem now, and by refusing to export the penalties for the error onto the person terminated, we help the company to mend its ways.
Even if The root of the problem
is a mistake in
setting prioritieswe do decide to travel to carry out the termination, we might be tempted to do it on the cheap. For tricky and possibly hostile terminations, it's common to have an HR representative "sit in," but for remote terminations, we sometimes don't take HR with us, to save money. Foolishness. If anything, it's more important to have HR present for a remote termination.
The most important reason to travel is respect. How would you feel if you were terminated by phone, fax, or carrier pigeon? Not good, I suspect. The effect on other staff is also important. Everyone is watching. If you do it remotely, some bystanders might feel disrespected, too. Some might start looking for alternative positions, while others might become demotivated. It's a lot cheaper to buy the airplane ticket than to replace people you didn't want to lose.
Often, the person terminated wants to vent. Usually, through the anger, there are at least a few nuggets of truth, and as the supervisor, you're the person best able to convert those nuggets to real value for the company. By listening — in person — you'll do much to calm the waters, and perhaps emerge from the meeting having done some good — for the person terminated, for the company, and maybe even for yourself. Top Next Issue
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Related articles
More articles on Ethics at Work:
- Budget Shenanigans: Swaps
- When projects run over budget, managers face a temptation to use creative accounting to address the
problem. The budget swap is one technique for making ends meet. It distorts organizational data, and
it's just plain unethical.
- Nonworkplace Politics
- When we bring national or local political issues into the workplace — especially the divisive
issues — we risk disrupting our relationships, our projects, and the company itself.
- Difficult Decisions
- Some decisions are difficult because they trigger us emotionally. They involve conflicts of interest,
yielding to undesirable realities, or possibly pain and suffering for the deciders or for others. How
can we make these emotionally difficult decisions with greater clarity and better outcomes?
- Extrasensory Deception: II
- In negotiating agreements, the partners who do the drafting have an ethical obligation not to exploit
the advantages of the drafting role. Some drafters don't meet that standard.
- Personal Boundaries at Work
- We often speak of setting boundaries at work — limitations on what we can reasonably ask of each
other. We speak of them, but we don't always honor them. They can be easier to remember and honor if
we regard them as freedoms rather than boundaries.
See also Ethics at Work, Conflict Management and Virtual and Global Teams for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
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- And on May 1: Antipatterns for Time-Constrained Communication: 2
- Recognizing just a few patterns that can lead to miscommunication can reduce the incidence of problems. Here is Part 2 of a collection of antipatterns that arise in technical communication under time pressure, emphasizing those that depend on content. Available here and by RSS on May 1.
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