Tough Choice as a Manager – Need Advice
Hey everyone,
I’m a manager, and I try to be fair and understanding. One of my employees has been struggling with productivity for a couple of months. I’ve made adjustments and talked to him twice, but nothing has changed. He also hinted that he’s dealing with issues at home and in his marriage. I know his wife hasn’t been able to work due to health reasons, and they were relying on two incomes.
Now I have a hard choice. If I fire him, I take away his income during a tough time. If I keep him, the whole team suffers.
It feels like a Stoic dilemma—do I choose kindness and risk hurting the team, or do I make the tough call and risk harming him? Am I being too soft, or is patience the right move?
Has anyone been in a similar situation? What would you do?
Why not tell him that based on his productivity, you were going to fire him, but because of his wife’s illness, you’re giving him another chance? Let him know that if he doesn’t improve, you’ll have to let him go. This could motivate him to work harder. And if after a month there’s still no progress, you can make your decision knowing you gave him a fair chance.
Also, ask him why he thinks his performance has dropped. Maybe you can help him find ways to stay focused or create a plan to be more consistent.
I have managed a team in the past. There is a lot of pressure of trying to prevent a company from going bankrupt while also dealing with employees’ struggles.
Firing someone just because they’re struggling through a tough time isn’t necessarily fair. It sounds like you’ve mostly been telling him to improve, but have you asked what’s actually getting in his way? A good manager helps their team overcome obstacles, not just points them out. If you haven’t already, try working with him to find solutions. If nothing changes after that, then you’ve done your part.
A Stoic would say the right thing to do is act with both justice and wisdom. That means balancing compassion for the employee with the responsibility to keep the company running. You should help him if possible, but if he refuses to improve, letting him go is the rational choice.