Interesting, I'd never heard that before. Could you possibly expand on that?

That's interesting to hear. Could you explain in what way?

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

* Fired with cause - gross reason: sexual harassment, illegal activities, etc.

* Fired - incompetence, laziness, other ineptitude related specifically to the employee, but nothing illegal

* Laid off - financial reasons or business direction reasons for the company. (Some people who are borderline performers get swept up into lay offs, which helps the employee save face.)

In the latter 2 cases, people generally get severance arrangements. In the last case, people are generally eligible for re-hire should conditions or direction change.

And "let go" subsumes all forms of involuntary termination, both layoff and firing.

You're correct in spirit, but no one ever uses the phrase "laid off" to mean "fired". "Laid off" usually means you were let go because of say, financial problems in the company, no need for your position, etc. "Fired" implies cause.

You're right. "laid off" would tend to mean "made redundant".

Surprising as it may seem, I am going to have to disagree with you here.

If someone is performing poorly, the most likely explanation is that they are unhappy with their job, for whatever reason.

And the best way to handle the situation is to figure out what is making the employee unhappy.

And sometimes the problem might not even be solvable for your company. And in that situation, the best outcome for both of you is to end the business relationship.