One of the reasons I have been aiming to build several "automated" businesses the past 5yrs as I agree, it is challenging to fire someone even if they are contractors depending on the circumstance.

Have one that is at about 85% auto-pilot and now that I've worked the bugs I am looking at how to create a couple more revenue streams using the same business model.

...with this, the only person I can fire in the near future is going to be myself (can't wait) but I have not ever questioned my decision once made.

We build businesses (or are in charge of another's) to generate income/revenue and the goal is to ensure we are getting maximum performance for the dollar paid and accepted by those employed by us.

No one is above being fired or (peacefully retired) when their contributed value is either no longer needed, under performing or when theft is the concern.

There is a time to be charitable and a time to be shrewd.

Business by design is largely in favor of the later while your personal interests the former!

I find it interesting how many of us have experienced some serious "physical child abuse" on here but still have the mental fortitude to strive forward. I've forgiven but not ever forgotten but by choice, decided to understand "the why" and realized it was in MY best interest to allow PEACE be at the forefront.

It's not personal it's business. If it were personal it would be be written in a living will.

I hear you, he should of been honest, but think about it like this to, you let him slide and it comes bk on you I'm sure your not going to put your families well being & stability in danger.

I make over 400 thousand for my company a yr easily, we charge $165 a hr, I been in this field of work for 25yrs it's old and repatioius so I'm not the friendliest guy all the time and a lot of new real young guys don't (didn't) like me and tried to get me fired,,, well they saw how that cookie crumbled, my line of work is not learned over night or even 5yrs I'm still learning everyday technology & engerniers are a mother fucker, I just hate training new guys ( I don't anymore) that think they know it all and don't know shit.
And I don't make close to 400K wanted to clear that up!!! Wishful thinking..

They were their own enemy!!

Cajun

shit canning people doesn't bother me my job is to make sure my CO makes money in turn my employees make more money as do I so when someone is costing me business or not caring there weight they have to go its not fair to my other employees that bust there ass day in and day out for me.... I fired a dude that worked for my Grandpa then my dad then me been with our company for 30yrs but got lazy and was costing me and my employees money so guess what had to go... I always tell my guys everyone is replaceable so don't take advantage of me or the other employees.

That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is having to deal with all the whiney crybaby bullshit day in and day out. Or the lazy mofos that call in sick two times a week. Oh and guess how many new applicants I get every week. That's right none. Fucking lazy ass people. Rant over

that's why you get paid the big bucks .. it comes with the title .. you didn't terminate his family he did... he was dishonest and the consequences caught up to him .. sometimes life sucks ... kind of like if your parents ever said 'this hurts me more than it hurts you'

I hear ya on that... I had to lay off 16 men a week & 1/2 before Christmas in 2014.. No that fucking sucked!!!

Fuq that guy. What he did was steal from the company.. I don't tolerate it at my place of business and neither should anyone. I've hired convected felons for assault and selling weed but I will NEVER hire a thief. It's only a matter of time before he gets comfortable enough to start stealing the gas out of the trucks the tools out of the boxes and the additude of the employees. You did the right thing that guy should have thought about his family before doing something so stupid. He made his bed now he lays in it.

Yeah it sucks, Ive had to do it many times over the years (high sales staff turnover environments)
There is a flip side though... I crippled my business by not firing 3 non-performers (at the same time). One of them was dealing with a case of Alzheimer's at home, another was a relative of the Mrs. and and the 3rd was just an exceptionally nice guy.

'Feeling' for these people took my eyes off the ball and as a result others suffered for their bullshit performance. I've since put in place a best in class reward/promotion process and equally a clinical performance management process, albeit too late in many regards.

When you're the boss man, these decisions have to be made from time to time and some times it is time to pull the trigger.

It's not nice. I recently had to make an entire production facility redundant, 85 people. Not a pleasant experience but apparently part of my job, (the management part so I'm told). I'll be releasing a book called "how to make yourself as popular as the Ebola virus" in due course.....

I feel for ya. I've got a guy right now who has been an absolute asshole for the past 3 years. I look at that guy and I know if I fire him that he won't get a job anywhere. He has three little kids. I sat him down about 6 months ago and got cancer serious with him and he too started bawling. He got sweet for a while and now he back to being that same asshat. He's one bad day away from getting shit canned.
The problem is..he is very good at his work. He is just such a dickhead that nobody can stand working with him. Hisn3 little kids are the only reason he has a job.

I read all of these and to be honest I don't feel bad at all for the guys I fire it seems different at my company because I give them 3 write ups before they get fired and we have an honesty policy where anything basically is forgiven if they come forward and tell us about it.
3 strikes and forgiveness for honesty its few and far between when I have to let someone go but by the time I finnally do get to fire them it usually should have been done months earlier.

I done it in 2012- the guy smoked ice and took 15 days off in a row and wouldnt answer his phone- he had two kids under 5 and his misses was 8 months pregnant plus he had car payments and a mortgage- i had to work those 15 days straight- when he finally answered his phone i arranged for him to come in- he rocked up high with pink ripped shorts, thongs a filthy ripped tank top and his toe nails and finger nails were painted all different colours- i fired him but i rang head office interstate and lied for him and said his misses is having complicated pregnancy and hes financially struggling and he is " resigning" i got him 4 weeks annual leave plus two weeks pay.

A fkn drug addict with kids and a preg wife and i still lied and covered to get him a payout- he was only owed a 10 days leave i got him a month.

I still felt bad!

Honestly i grabbed him by the arm and said if i find out you spend the money on drugs you wont be around to see ur unborn child coz u will have an accident.

He was very appreciative.

4 months later he came with his misses and showed me the baby- he was off the drugs.

I still felt bad so i know what ur saying.

On the plus side my good frien got a job replacing him and hes still there although i moved on ( i was managing director for my state) but human resources was interstate.

It does suck and I have had to do it many times over the last 24 years. It never gets easier, it only gets harder. But I am charged with looking out for the wellbeing of my company so if it gets to that point I will pull the trigger.

Poor guy put you in a shit situation. If you didn't do your job though he would've run the risk of dragging you further into his mess. I'm glad he can't hurt your business anymore and I hope he finds a better way to get by, for his sake and his families.

I was let go in one of my jobs in construction because of lack of work. I ended up becoming a fairly predominant contractor in the area.

You never know what opportunities await when one door closes.
Who knows, your actions might have been what it took to get that guy's life togeather. (or he goes into a walmart and shoots the place up).

Point is, it was his decision to set in motion his firing, and it'll be his decision on how he chooses to react to being fired. It's great that you are empathetic, but I wouldn't eat yourself up over it.

First of all, you never know what situation a person is facing at any given time in their life.

Who knows the reasons as to how or why this man lied , but he chose to. While firing people blows. Especially when you establish a personal relationship. You had no choice in the matter.

Nobody forced him to cut corners, lie, and take you and your company for granted by putting you in a compromising situation. In fact, you are fortunate that you found out now and not after accounting finds years of discrepancies , money lost, combined with a now compromised
reputation.

Again it sucks to for him and his family. But nobody forced him to be a shady scumbag either.

You're thinking is admirable, however. I wish more bosses cared as much as you do about their employees..

That sucks but I don't believe in cutting corners or stealing from people which is essentially what he did. Sucks you had to swing the hammer but you weren't malicious and he put you in the position.

His own fault. he'll be fine, cars won't ever stop breaking down.

If an employee lies, cheats and steals they deserve to get fired! The money they stole by lying was someone's hard earned money that they may have needed to pay rent or buy groceries. Had they done honest work this would have never happened. Cause and effect! No sympathy from me.

That stuff doesn't get to me, I won't let it. I'm not trying to act tough by saying that, but the fact is if I'm letting someone go/firing them it's because of a very good and justified reason.

His actions depicted the outcome. You did exactly what you should have done, you don't need an employee that will drag your business down.