Getting fired or firing an employee is never a pleasant experience. But Andreas Roettl, CEO of Journi, a tech company that uses artificial intelligence for photo printing, believes otherwise. In a lengthy post on LinkedIn, Roettl said that managers should be as proficient in laying off employees as they are in hiring. He also asserted that firing employees was vital for maintaining a “happy and strong" team and that companies should formally train leaders to develop this skill.
“I am really good at firing people… says no one ever. But we should! Because firing is as important as hiring. Yet it is a topic most people avoid. We don’t want to be fired, we don’t want to fire others. The thing is: Firing is as necessary and deserves the same attention as hiring. Firing will keep your team happy and strong. Firing will save your team spirit and culture," Roettl wrote.
Elaborating, the Journi CEO said that his company focused on training the leads to become good at letting people go, suggesting that others should do that too. He emphasised the significance of Journi’s unique approach to training leads, which includes how to let go of people and providing leads with necessary tools to assess a situation like regular feedback and assessment talks, an early warning system, performance improvement plans, personal development opportunities for team members, finding and developing strengths, etc. to evaluate employee performance.
However, he added that a company should give an employee a chance to improve before firing them. He suggested, “Just like in soccer, there must be a clear first warning: the yellow card, so to speak. A conversation in which you clearly tell the person what doesn’t work and what you expect. Then you run through a performance improvement plan you created for them. Allow them to get better and provide support."
Backing his approach, Andreas Roettl also shared some stats. He wrote, “We are 80 people at Journi. For the last 12 months, we had a turnover rate of 5 per cent. In the last 12 months, we had to lay off 2 team members. I cannot remember this being much different in the last 3 years."
The now-viral post sparked a debate online, prompting a cascade of reactions in the comments section. A majority of LinkedIn users criticised Andreas’ approach, while there were a few who backed him.
“Firing yourself from your post as CEO. Charity begins at home; ain’t it?" a comment read.
A user wrote, “I don’t think this completely tone-deaf post is anywhere near the flex you think it is, dude."
“Interesting read! Good managers must learn/know how to handle pips effectively. Layoffs are taboos and generally seen as underperformance, which might not be true in mass layoffs," said another.
An individual shared, “Well said, Andreas Roettl. One aspect that never ceases to amaze me: When you let go of somebody you thought was liked a lot by their co-workers, you might have this question mark in your mind about how the decision will be received by the rest of the team… and once it is accomplished, people will just say, ‘Oh yes, this doesn’t surprise me, good decision’."
Responding to the backlash he faced after the post, Andreas Roettl wrote, “I’m sorry if I hurt someone with that post, but rest assured that the main message is that we have to praise and protect all of you guys doing a great job at journi. And while the topic is of course uncomfortable, it is also sometimes important to say good bye to the ones not living our culture and not doing a good job."
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