Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AMA

I fire people for a living - AMA

36 replies

newbie202020 · 30/08/2019 03:25

Just that really, feel free to ask away

OP posts:
helpmeiamatoad · 30/08/2019 03:28

Why?

BobTheFishermansWife · 30/08/2019 03:30

How does that work? Do companies employ you to go in and tell people they're fired? Or do you just walk up to people randomly and tell them "you're fired" Alan Suger style?

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 30/08/2019 03:40

How do you sleep at night? I mean, I know someone has to do that job, but I wouldn't and couldn't do it for all the tea in China.

Sincethereis · 30/08/2019 03:45

Most people get fired for a reasonable reason so I’m sure OP sleeps at night.

My question is why is there a specific job role for that ? Is that quite common place

newbie202020 · 30/08/2019 04:07

Most large firms have a specialist part of HR called Employee Relations which deals with grievances, conduct investigations, redundancies, performace management etc. These processes often end in employment coming to an end. I'm employed for a particular firm, but have performed the role as contractor eg to run a large scale redundancy programme or to investigate a significant complaint.

OP posts:
newbie202020 · 30/08/2019 04:09

I sleep well at night knowing that at a difficult time in someone's career/life, I'm ensured the process they're going through has been managed properly and fairly.

OP posts:
playftseforme · 30/08/2019 04:22

Like George Clooney in "Up in the Air"?

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 30/08/2019 04:46

I'm glad you can sleep at night newbie, I certainly wouldn't be able to. I know so many people who have been through this process, it certainly didn't help any of them sleep better knowing their firing had been professionally handled! But, like debt collection, I guess somebody has to do it.

DarkNoise · 30/08/2019 04:53

Form somebody who has been callously made redundant after having brought money and raised the profile of an organisation, and still cannot sleep at night because of it, not a question but a rather sarcastic pat on the back. Well done mate. Good job. I hope karma gives you too some of the joys you put us through.

Alicewond · 30/08/2019 04:57

How come I’ve worked for many large organisations and yet never heard of anyone being brought in to “fire people”? That’s why we have good HR staff. I call rubbish and attention seeking post!

Ilikethisone · 30/08/2019 05:20

You dont fire people for a living. I work in HR. I have known one company employee someone in a role similar to this. Their role was to manage redeployment, if one of our clients scaled back the contract or stopped using us completely. That often had grievances and loss of jobs, as often they couldnt redeploy people to something that suits.

Your job is to over see grievance process and redundancy. Redundancy is not firing someone. If you are overseeing the grievance process to see if it's done correctly, then you simply manage grievances.

I used to manage grievances. The only time they ending in firing was when the person who was subject of the grievance was found to have done something that was gross misconduct.

Does you company really have enough of these cases to employ someone just to do that? Grievances relating to Gross mis conduct cases?

What about when its gross mis conduct but no grievance is opened? It's simply been witnessed and a company has suspended and investigating?

HR do all these roles and more. Manage disciplinary, grievances, redundancy......plus other roles as well. Your job is to manage these. Not to fire people. I would be very concerned that someone in your position felt their job description was to fire people.

As a people manage and working in HR part of my role, is firing people, if required. That's not actually my role. It's a very small part of my responsibilities. It's quite an awful part of the job, its not a nice thing to do, even if the person has done something wrong.

The only time I havenet felt a bit bad was when a man had been over heard making comments so disgusting to a young woman, it was sickening and sent her emails and instant chat saying similar. The things he said, ended with police involvement. It was scary as fuck. It still wasnr nice. The young woman was so shaken by it. I felt desperately sad for her that she had been subjected to this.

Abillity2019 · 30/08/2019 21:38

Think that’s known as getting told OP Grin.

MoreSlidingDoors · 30/08/2019 21:42

I’m in HR and have overseen many, many dismissals as part of my role. Very much a last resort.

I did go for one interview where it became clear that they were looking for someone to come in, make people redundant and then go. There are benefits to this for the company, as the person becomes the scapegoat when the dust settles, but I couldn’t have driven the 40 miles each way knowing that was my sole purpose.

DancingintheSpoonlight · 30/08/2019 21:47

I dunno about the rest of it but to the people going at OP about their own experiences...I'm assuming OP doesn't get kicks out of it and like a PP said...someone has to carry out these roles whether it's liked or not.
I've every sympathy with people made redundant etc as it's happened to my dad when I was growing up but I don't think we blamed the actual person who told him.

Bluntness100 · 30/08/2019 21:48

I'm a bit confused by this. I work for a large corporation and have over seen a large scale pan European redundancy program. A co ordination role between hr, labour relations, unions, and the business. I'd never have said I fired people for a living. I find your attitude odd that that's how you view it, which makes me wonder what you actually do.

Ilikethisone · 30/08/2019 21:49

Making people redundant is not firing them for a living. And if you are making people redundant and view it like that, they shoilsnt be doing it.

If OP really sees her job like that, then she must get kicks out of doing so. Not very empathetic or caring, to frame it like that, is it?

Bluntness100 · 30/08/2019 22:13

Agree. This is very odd.

PhilCornwall1 · 31/08/2019 04:21

If your sole purpose in the organisation is to "fire" people, my one question is, is there anyone left, when are you going to fire yourself?

I'd say you more than likely work in HR, or whatever the organisation is calling the department this week and you have involvement when a specific area/business unit has a restructure.

Alicewond · 31/08/2019 04:32

Let’s face it, I could say I’m a cannibal and eat people AMA. Most likely I’m posting a thread for attention and it’s done well if the reaction has been like this one.

PhilCornwall1 · 31/08/2019 07:22

Yep, today Matthew I'm going to be.......

peppaporkysandwich · 06/09/2019 16:22

You are not a nice person op. Karma is a bitch....

CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 07/09/2019 09:17

I know where the OP is coming from. I work in a similar sounding role and dismissals or potential dismissals are probably about 30% of my caseload as that's where a lot of the risk is.

The less risky cases not involving such an outcome would be picked up by someone more junior or manager would go it alone.

I also do grievances, restructures, performance etc which doesn't result in dismissal.

I wouldn't describe it as a job firing people but that is often the outcome. I am providing a service to the business which needs the right number of skilled competent people if it is to prosper so I can sleep at night.

peppaporkysandwich · 07/09/2019 09:22

@CloudsCanLookLikeSheep @newbie202020 you leave people homeless and without money and plunge people( and their kids too)into poverty karma is a bitch indeed.....

CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 07/09/2019 09:35

Peppa do you actually understand how businesses work? If the business fails everyone will be out of a job....

ElektraUnchained · 07/09/2019 11:32

Peppa, do you think everyone should be able to stay in a job once they have it no matter what? Some people are dicks and/or shit at their job. Why should they stay in post to harrass coworkers/do fuck all/make constant, expensive mistakes despite support/steal etc?

Do you also think redundancy shouldn't be allowed? Things change and so must jobs. If a company loses a big contract, it will not be able to sustain the same level of staffing. If pupil numbers drop massively at a school, it will not be able to afford to keep more teachers than there are classes.

What do you suggest happens in these scenarios?

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread