Ask HN: So your manager fires one of your coworkers no word why, What do you do?
Today, one of my coworkers got fired, great developer and the company just fired him today. I hate when this happens and management doesn't share why they let go the person, but I work for a startup and this makes me worried that they can pull the rug under my feet. The developer that got fired was a key developer in many pieces of our stack and maybe he made a mistake recently but I can't see why someone would get fired just like that. We all make mistakes or life gets in the way a good manager talks to you before they just fire you. Companies can be so cruel :(
17 comments
[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 47.6 ms ] threadIf he can't give you a reason, he can give you a reason why he can't give you a reason ;)
It's scary, but often worth it.
In all honesty, I knew the project was going to shit. It was dead from the get go. So I started to learn as much as I can from my peers and waited until they finally fire me. It was a great opportunity to learn and pad up my resume anyway.
If you're that worry you can start apply for other places. You don't have to accept the offer you can just practice your interview skills.
Points you may want to seek clarity on:
- Was the fired coworker given advance notice?
- Was he given a chance to change things to avoid the firing?
- Was this decision due to technical reasons or a "culture clash"? (You may not get an answer here)
- Was he offered a severance package, or at least paid for his last 2 weeks and unused vacation time?
Or, the boss could just be a psychopath who likes firing people for no reason. The boss and coworker may say the very same things they said in the "for cause" scenario.
Bottom line: You may not be able to get a straight answer from anyone. If you do, you may not be able to tell that it was a straight answer.
The owner vowed that he'd never let something like this happen again. Of course, he decided that this wasn't his fault. After all, if the employee had gotten sick or was hit by a bus, he'd be in the same situation. Instead, the problem was that the business had a single point of failure. Too much business knowledge was only available in a single place.
His solution was an early form of Netflix Chaos Monkey, but applied to HR. A couple of times a year, he'd fire an employee at random. The plan was to ensure that knowledge was in the company, not in people. You didn't get used to asking Bill from Accounting how to file your expense forms, since Bill could disappear at any time. Instead, you insisted that Bill (or whoever was currently in accounting) create easily accessible documentation for the expense forms. Then, when Bill disappeared, everything was documented and the business continued smoothly.
From what I've heard, the owner may now be in minimum security prison for shady financials at the company, so there could have been another reason to encourage people not to stay too long.
Edit: Fixed stupid homophone
"It is important to understand that the at-will doctrine is merely a default rule that can be overridden by an express contract or civil service statutes (in the case of government employees). As many as 34% of all U.S. employees apparently enjoy the protection of some kind of "just cause" or objectively reasonable requirement for termination that takes them out of the pure "at-will" category"
If they fired someone and you think it's unfair and they wouldn't explain it to you, then it's time for you to move on.