Firing and Being Fired

Firing

• Sometimes people have good reasons for poor performance
• But sometimes they don't
• This is the hardest part of leading a project
• But keeping someone on the team who shouldn't be there is bad for morale as well as productivity

Legal Requirements

• Every jurisdiction has rules about firing people, too
• Again, talk to someone in Human Resources before doing anything else
• Governance of every well-run open project spells out:
  • Criteria for being a project member
  • Who gets to decide when that privilege is revoked
• You can't wait until you need these to write them
• Review them before going any further

Check With Someone

• Hard to work with someone you dislike
  • But not liking someone isn't sufficient reason to fire them
• Talk to someone outside the project
  • More likely to be objective
  • Less likely to let something slip
  • Less likely to feel pressured to take your side because you're the boss

Create a Transition Plan

• It's awkward to fire the only person who knows the password to the production server
  • And risky as well
• Suddenly asking someone to document their work is a give-away
• Better to ask everyone to do it all the time
  • Which helps keep roles and responsibilities up to date
• Write out the steps you'll take immediately after breaking the news
  • Change passwords on servers
  • Remove from GitHub group
  • Remove from mailing list
  • Return loaned hardware
• All of this needs to be done when someone leaves voluntarily
  • And helps you realize just how much "stuff" your project has

No Surprises

• If someone is surprised they're being fired, you have made a mistake
• If it's for poor behavior:
  • They should know what's in the Code of Conduct
  • And you should have given them warnings for minor violations
• If it's for poor performance:
  • You should have told them that they weren't meeting expectations…
  • …given them a chance to explain…
  • …and given them an opportunity to improve
• You will feel pretty bad if they've been missing deadlines because of a family illness

Delivery

• Write out what you're going to say
  • Keep it short
• Practice it a few times
• Then get straight to the point
• Don't get drawn into discussion of "what if"
• Stick to the practical matters you identified in the transition plan

Tell the Team

• Make sure the team hears the news from you
  • Before rumors start to circulate
• Keep statement brief and to the point
• Do not discuss details
  • The person you fired has a right to privacy
  • And you don't want other team members worrying that you'll say something about them some day

Keep a Record

• It's hard for people to think clearly when you're angry or hurt
  • And they may not act in good faith
• Communicate by email
• If they insist on a call:
  • Ask to record it and give them permission to do the same
  • Or have a third party present

It's OK to Cry

• This is the hardest part of management
  • If it ever gets easy, you should let someone else take over
• Remember: you can't save everyone

Being Fired

• I hope you're never fired,
  • Or if you are, that the company handles it more professionally than DataCamp did

Keep Public Statements Brief

• People may care, but most won't care as much as you do
• A simple recitation of facts is usually damning enough

Correct Things Publicly

• If you need to correct something, don't just take it down or edit it
  • If you do, you will be accused of rewriting history,
  • Muddied waters only help whoever fired you
• Instead, add a timestamped correction
• Be prepared for them to dig through everything you've ever said online and re-post parts selectively to discredit you

Be Honest About Your Failings

• Speak directly to all the issues rather than omitting or ignoring things you'd rather not discuss
• Your honesty is your greatest asset
• And it's hypocritical to criticize your opponents for spin or selective reporting if you're doing it too

Don't Sign That

• Don't sign any agreement that might prevent you from speaking about moral or legal concerns
• Or if you do, make sure the agreement explicitly excludes your concerns before signing it
  • And yes, it's very privileged of me to be able to say this
  • Someone whose immigration status, essential health benefits, or family income is being threatened may not have a choice
• That is why I think people who do have a choice also have an obligation to fight

You Are Not a Lawyer

• Don't cite the law unless a lawyer tells you to
• It probably doesn't mean what you think it means
• And whoever fired you almost certainly has lawyers on their side who will seize on any misstatement or mistake you make

Don't Expect Them to Admit They Were Wrong

• Their lawyers probably won't let them say anything that would acknowledge wrongdoing or liability
• Whatever happened probably wouldn't have if they were the sort of people who could admit mistakes

It's OK to cry

• Go for long walks
  • Or cook some healthy meals
  • Or pick up the guitar you haven't touched in years
  • anything that requires you to focus on something else for a while
• This isn't just for your mental health
  • Exhausted people make poor decisions, and you need to be at the top of your game
• And remember, other people do care about you