Firing an employee is a messy business that nobody really relishes. Firing you is going to cost your company money. It is going to create transition problems. Besides, nobody really likes to fire anybody. Well, almost nobody. I've met a few hatchet men who seem to take a sadistic pleasure in giving subordinates the ax, but these people represent a tiny minority in the business community. I once had a job years ago in which I had to fire a number of employees at different times. I never got used to it; in fact, I developed a migraine headache every time.
Most executives I know will bend over backwards before firing even the most blatantly incompetent employee. A personnel director often says: "What amazes me isn't how many people get fired in our company, but how a few people who really deserve it do get fired."
So, regardless of how dire your situation is, if you can give your superior a reason for not firing you, you stand a good chance of avoiding the ax. Remember, though, it may not be easy.
Ask Yourself Some Tough Questions
If your job is in jeopardy, it's your fault. Even if it isn't your fault, it's your fault. The superior who has the power to fire you is like the proverbial customer: he or she is always right.
Most people who suspect their jobs are in jeopardy start out by thinking how good a job they've been doing and how big a mistake the company is making in considering dismissal. Spouses or close friends frequently become allies in this pointless exercise. It's just a case of the big, blind, bureaucratic organization not recognizing what a treasure-you-it has in its midst.
Don't make this mistake. As hard as it may be, play devil's advocate with yourself. Don't think about how good you are at your job. Think about any or all of the things you could be doing wrong. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Have you been working as hard or as energetically as you are capable of working and have worked in the past?
- Are you as enthusiastic about your job as you once were? (Truism: Job performance invariably suffers when enthusiasm dims.)
- Have you been careless about your appearance (put on a lot of weight, for instance) or about the courtesy you show your fellow workers?
- Have you allowed personal problems in your life to affect the attention you're giving to your job or the way you're interacting with your fellow workers? (In other words, are you breaking my law, which states that it's better to take your job problems home with you than it is to take your home problems to the job.)
- Have you been procrastinating more frequently than you usually do-avoiding decisions?
If this little experiment doesn't alert you to possible grounds for dismissal, you have a problem. You'd better find suitable grounds, the better to address yourself to them. If it is indeed true that you've been slacking off, that your enthusiasm has been waning, that you've been sloppy about your appearance and your work habits, or that you've been allowing your personal problems to interfere with your job performance, don't waste time looking for excuses. Decide upon some immediate steps to reverse the pattern.
The question now is whether you go to your boss, plead your sins, and make known your intention to mend your ways, or put your new plan into action without letting on that you're doing this out of the fear of getting fired.
There are pros and cons to each strategy. Going to your boss could well be the opportunity your boss has been looking for to tell you the bad news. Thus it could simply hasten your departure. On the other hand, by the time your boss realizes that you've reformed, it may be too late.
A good middle-ground strategy is to set up a meeting with your boss-perhaps a lunch-not to determine whether your job is in jeopardy, but to let the boss know that you yourself are aware that you haven't "been yourself of late but that the situation is now under control. But it is important that you give the impression you think your job is secure.
Be careful in this session not to go overboard in self-condemnation. Be vague. Don't confess to "sins" you haven't committed, and don't mention anything your boss may not be aware of. Brush over the negatives as quickly as you can. Concentrate on the positives you expect to be present in your job performance before too long.
Another recommended strategy in this situation is to go out of your way to increase your importance to your company. Increase your productivity. Look for extra assignments that demonstrate how interested you are in your job and your company, and show how capable you are as well. Pay special attention to the areas you may be weak in. If you've been short-tempered with your fellow workers, be more polite. If you've been dressing carelessly, spend a few minutes extra every morning making sure you look your best. Remember the basic strategy: Give your would-be firers reasons for not firing you.
