Bible MBASample

Sometimes Firing Someone is the Right Decision 

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? Luke 13:7 NKJV

Letting people go is one of the more difficult things you will have to do on occasion as a business owner. No one really likes the awkwardness of telling someone that his or her service is no longer needed. Yet, there are times when this is indeed the best thing to do. 

The truth is, some people's future will be better spent someplace other than in your company: perhaps because they don't embrace the vision, or simply that they are not willing to take the opportunities to improve themselves to the level that their job roles require. Still, some other people simply have skills that do not fit within your organization. 

In letting a person go, the critical thing is to ensure that as much as it depends on you, you ensure that no bad blood is left. This will require empathy and honesty in communicating the reason(s) for the decision. Also keep in mind that in the final analysis, this is a person Jesus died for and the greater priority in every such situation is to leave the person with a clear impression of their worth as a person as valued by the life of Jesus that was given in exchange for theirs. In the end, a person's worth cannot be truly measured by their effectiveness at a set of tasks. 

It is also useful to give thought to the challenges this person and their family may face in the ensuing transition period, and to offer any support the company may be able to give to make the transition less difficult. 

It is for this sort of consideration that Joseph was called a just man. Rather than have Mary publicly stoned as the law would have specified for someone found pregnant out of wedlock, he sought to call off the wedding quietly. (Matthew 1:19). Clearly, being a just man often means going above, and beyond what is required, to treat others with grace.