Hire Smart, Fire Humanely
As the saying goes – hire slowly, fire quickly, but the saying should go: hire smart, fire humanely. Searchwise is often called in to solve situations where hiring occurred in a panic because a position needed to be filled, only to later find that the person was not the right fit.
…after just two weeks of seeing the effect the new hire was having on her team, she took her aside and said, “I don’t think this is a great cultural fit for us. Let’s not try to force this…”
Months, sometimes years go by because the firing process is so uncomfortable and awkward. This reluctance to face the situation does damage to not only the company’s finances (for larger companies it could cost millions) – but damage to team members who must suffer and/or compensate for the unfortunate hire.
Bottom line – it is far more humane to let someone go when the truth becomes obvious, rather than put them through months or years of bad or mediocre performance reviews they can never hope to correct because they are simply not the right fit. Ideally, by releasing them, they can find a position that is better suited to their talents. Additionally, by offering truthful assessments and suggestions – it could bring clarity for the next job search – hopefully for everyone involved.
