Re:Ask HN: Would you fire this developer?
by niels_olson on Monday February 21, 2011 @08:22PM
(#2248184)
>As a boss, you need to tell the employee what you need, and if he or she can't provide that, you need to let them go.
Really? I'm pretty sure "taking care of your people" is a huge part of a boss's job. I certainly take it as part of my job as a boss. Would you fire someone with a broken leg who refused to go to the doctor? What about a torn ACL? You can walk without an ACL, your abilities are just degraded.
> /almost always/ leads to an even more negative reaction than just firing them outright
From a young, single man's perspective, maybe. But in the end you're just helping this person kick the can down the road.
> Hey you, you need to go get some medication
That is definitely not what I'm advocating. But a boss should definitely have the gumption to assess the situation coldly, understand all the options, and expect the employee to make a decision before firing them outright.
Really? I'm pretty sure "taking care of your people" is a huge part of a boss's job. I certainly take it as part of my job as a boss. Would you fire someone with a broken leg who refused to go to the doctor? What about a torn ACL? You can walk without an ACL, your abilities are just degraded.
> /almost always/ leads to an even more negative reaction than just firing them outright
From a young, single man's perspective, maybe. But in the end you're just helping this person kick the can down the road.
> Hey you, you need to go get some medication
That is definitely not what I'm advocating. But a boss should definitely have the gumption to assess the situation coldly, understand all the options, and expect the employee to make a decision before firing them outright.
>I'm just saying ... I'm just saying
You need to talk less and think more.