The Curse of Decision Fatigue

When is the best time to dismiss an erring employee - morning or afternoon?

- REY ELBO

That's assuming you've already exhausted all possible means to reform a person in the past and that they're accorded due process. Choosing the best time is imperative so that we can minimize its adverse effects on the employee and the whole organization.

The keyword in the preceding statement is "adverse." That gives you a clue. The answer is in the afternoon, specifically during the last hour before closing. The process includes the personal service of the dismissal notice by the concerned line manager with the help of human resources (HR).

The HR representative should be a witness in case the dismissed worker refuses to acknowledge receipt of the notice. In addition, the security office must be alerted to any untoward incident. The process includes the return of all documents, keys, passwords, identification cards, laptop computers, mobile phones or whatever company property was entrusted to them.

To some management people, the timing could be a non-issue. If you've done a legal process, why prolong the agony? No, we're not. But we're simply minimizing all possible adverse consequences. I knew it from experience. I've already dismissed at least 100 workers in the past, and out of that, there could be around five percent who would not take it sitting down, including one who threatened me with a hand grenade.

Therefore, don't be surprised if some errant workers would turn emotional, if not become violent in some cases. That's what we're trying to avoid. The last hour of the day is best when everyone has already clocked out.

Decision fatigue