HOW TO FIRE EMPLOYEES WITH EMPATHY AND KINDNESS
There’s nothing worse in business than firing someone. I’m not usually the one who does it at VaynerMedia anymore since we’ve grown to so many employees, but when I did I would spend a month figuring out how to make myself feel better about it. We’re not in the one-, two- or three-strike policy here at VaynerMedia. We actually have enormous continuity, and I think part of that is thanks to the firing policy. People see that we try to handle things with empathy and grace. 1. TRY NOT TO LET THE FIRING COME AS A SURPRISE. At VaynerMedia, we do our best to give employees as much feedback and help when they need it. We work hard with people to try to help them achieve what they wanted to do when they came on board, or to help them find a better fit within the company. I think word of that effort gets around, and it makes people feel good about working here. Here’s how to manage underperforming employees: 1. Take the blame. 2. Start to communicate better. 3. Ask them, “what can I do t