Earlier in the week is always better.
One of the most challenging days in a leader’s life is when they must terminate someone’s employment or conduct a layoff. Regardless of the reason—whether for poor performance, an economic downturn, or even inappropriate behavior—it’s always a gut-wrenching experience.
I speak from experience. Whenever I knew I had to let someone go, I couldn’t sleep the night before. So, I would show up to work, dragging and dreading the task ahead of me.
Sometimes, getting let go can be the best thing for someone. That was true for me the one time I was fired. I hadn’t realized how many excuses I made for staying in a job I hated. That is why, in some cases, getting let go can be an exercise in mercy and possibly even a positive experience over time.
But let’s also not kid ourselves. It’s not fun for anyone at the time. That’s why there is a surprising amount of debate around the topic of what the best day to fire someone is.
Let’s explore why.
Not TGIF
The most common day to fire someone is Friday. That’s partly because the accountants tell us it’s easier and cleaner to let someone go at the end of a pay period. The person comes in that morning, and you call them into your office so you can deliver the bad news. Then, you turn off their email and send them on their way. Then, you call a meeting for the afternoon to explain what happened before everyone wraps up and heads home for the weekend.
This was my approach whenever I had to let someone go, and now I think it was a mistake.
While that plan might sound rational, letting someone go on a Friday is not the most humanistic approach.
Imagine what it’s like for the person who has been let go. After they grab their family photos and fake Ficus plant, they head home with their heads down and must tell their spouse what happened. Then, they wind up stewing about what happened over the weekend, perhaps even drinking an unhealthy number of alcoholic beverages, wondering what they will do next.
Let’s consider a scenario where you let the person go on a Monday instead. The same series of events unfolds, but now the person has the entire working week ahead of them to take action to rekindle their career. They can make calls or send emails to set up meetings. They can update their resume and LinkedIn page. They can start making things happen much more quickly than waiting for the weekend to pass before getting started.
This day is a more humanistic option because you give the person a head start on landing their next job.
Rethinking the Weekend
I understand there are still reasons people think Friday is the best day to fire someone. I would tell the accountants to terminate them on Monday and pay them through Friday. Everyone is happy, and it only costs you three days of pay. Worth it.
There are also reasons you might not want the rest of the team who didn’t lose their jobs to stew over the weekend, wondering if they might be next to lose their job. Everyone has the entire week to return to normal by acting on Monday. Sure, you might lose some productivity the next day or two, but you’re giving everyone the chance to process the changes immediately, rather than stewing over them over the weekend. Ultimately, you’ll experience a quicker rebound if you wait until the end of the week.
The one person who might need to sacrifice to make a Monday plan work is the leader responsible for delivering the bad news. They’ll have trouble sleeping the Sunday before knowing what’s coming on Monday. I know I would and did.
But sometimes that’s the cost of being a leader—especially if you’re someone who’d like to give the person you’re letting go the best chance and opportunity to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
