How to cope with the firing of a friend and coworker?

September 9, 2008 6:37 PM

A friend was just fired from my department for somewhat vague reasons. I've heard the story from my friend, and the managers have yet to say anything to the rest of us. As far as I can tell, my friend did nothing scandalous, illegal, or that violated my employer's policies. My friend is also not lazy. Everyone in the department is confused, and our morale is clearly shot. How do I support my friend and my coworkers? How can I/we move on enough to get day-to-day work done?

In addition, the firing of my friend (or the loss of any of us) could screw us over moreso - we're behind on some projects and his loss will could them run seriously later. We've also been told by the managers that "deadlines are going to become more strict" and the like. How do I tell the managers this? I've had some concerns about a lack of project management, and the timing to discuss this is both appropriate and kind of horrible.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (5 answers total)

if this person was fired in the strongest sense of the word, then they probably had a direct reason for doing so. you may just not be aware of it. you fire an individual when they are substancially at fault regarding something. talking about your employer to press or competitors, violating interests of the company, unauthorized attribution of company material, that sort of stuff. your friend might have called the wrong person the wrong word, too.

if this person was merely laid off, then it might just be that the budget has been slashed. we are at that time of the year (Q3/Q4) where this sort of thing happens. earnings season is upon us and costs are being cut to make each department look as good as possible. your managers line about deadlines becoming tighter indicates economic hardship to me. perhaps they are getting pressure from above to deliver faster or reduce costs and they are passing that pressure on and laying off one or two people.

not knowing is tough, I completely understand that. you guys should have a friendly chat with your managers. "hey, what's going on here?" kind of chats. individual, persistent. if two or three people ask similar questions they'll end up making a statement to all. they should do that anyway. if you think you are being misled or you simply don't agree with how management is doing their job, consider quitting. only you can know if and when it's time for that, so please don't assume I am blankly recommending taking this step. you should also not do that without having secured something else.

finally: talk to your friend, who probably needs a friend now. the loss of a job can be traumatic.
posted by krautland at 7:30 PM on September 9, 2008

If they don't make a statement, then polish up your resume. Management's job is to organize work and communicate values... if they aren't doing this and they are firing people, then it may be time to check the exits.
posted by ewkpates at 4:03 AM on September 10, 2008

You have one side of the story. Your employer -- for various, good reasons -- is not likely to sit down with everyone else and argue their side of the case. It may be that your friend got screwed, but it may be there's something he's not telling you. In any case, most employers will not discuss the reasons for an employee's firing with their co-workers. This is both to protect the former employee's privacy, and to prevent claims that they slandered the former employee.

The workflow issues, however, seem like legitimate topics of discussion with management, regardless of the reasons behind your friend's discharge.
posted by pardonyou? at 6:41 AM on September 10, 2008

Look for another job. Based on my experience, your work situation is going nowhere but downhill. And yeah, take your friend out for a drink and be as good a friend as you can. And polish your resume.
posted by languagehat at 8:47 AM on September 10, 2008

In terms of talking about this with your co-workers, discretion (as pardonyou? says) should really be the watchword. "I don't feel comfortable talking about Fired Tom's situation" and "That's probably something you should ask Tom directly" and "I understand that Tom feels angry about this, but it's probably best for him and for us if we stay out of it" might be useful ways to discuss it.

And when talking with Tom, focus on him and what his next steps are. Don't give your opinion about what's going on in the workplace, etc.--it's not actually going to be helpful to him, and it might come back to haunt you.

And, yeah, what languagehat said. This kind of HR mismanagement is usually a sign of much larger organizational dysfunction. Desert the sinking ship as soon as is convenient for you.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:26 AM on September 10, 2008