Advice needed on letting go of a long time employee

[shadetree29]

I have an Installer that has been with the company for roughly 10 years. With the way the economy and sales are going there is a better than good chance we will have to let him go after the heating season. I was thinking about telling him now because this time of year he will have no problem getting another job. If I do it in late February or March there is a good chance there will be no one looking to hire.
He has been with the company for a while so I want to be fair to him and his family. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[refer guy]

just goes to show what can happen when you throw away 10 years of your life with a mgr or company owner who is "business challenged", this is why i only worked for a small company for about a year and a half, i got the exposure i needed on certain equipment, made the company some money, and i got the hell out before i got the shaft. oh and im sure that your letting him go because your business is struggling and not because you found someone cheeper.

well for someone who invested that many years with you, the very least that you can do is let him know right now so that he can start looking, i think this is the most honorable thing that you can do.

[mustardman]

When times are tough hard decisions have to be made. I would suggest telling him now. If there is any way to use your contacts and find him another job with someone else I think you should do that. If he is a valued employee he will remember that and may return when things pick up.

[Wolfer]

Its always right before Christmas, hope the guy finds a job because Christmas without money sucks.

[bustawrench1]

Bring him in and sit him down for a talk. Tell him the way things are and what may have to happen...............If he's put in ten years with you, it's the least you can do for him. Maybe then when things pick up again, he'll be willing to come back............if you wait until Feburary and blindside him, he will never forget it.

Getting laid off out of the blue in Feburary sucks...........especially if he goes out and signs a loan for a new car or home improvements, thinking that he has stable employment, and with ten years on the job...........who wouldn't think that?

[maxster]

sit him down and go over the now or later lay-off situation.it would be better if he could put feelers out now,and still work there even to feb 09'.the sad thing with this is his quality of work will go down the toilet knowing they don't need him...and he might just get up and walk,and burn the bridges on the way out.if this guy is a lead installer for 10 years what is the deal with managment in there..can't they throw him over to service till spring.

[jpsmith1cm]

Bring him in and sit him down for a talk. Tell him the way things are and what may have to happen...............If he's put in ten years with you, it's the least you can do for him. Maybe then when things pick up again, he'll be willing to come back............if you wait until Feburary and blindside him, he will never forget it.

Getting laid off out of the blue in Feburary sucks...........especially if he goes out and signs a loan for a new car or home improvements, thinking that he has stable employment, and with ten years on the job...........who wouldn't think that?

This is the ONLY honest thing to do. You sound like a decent guy by wanting to do the right thing.

Just some thoughts...

Is he capable of doing service work? Can he be trained? Having an honest conversation with him is the best way to go. Maybe, just maybe, there is another spot in the company for him, outside of installation.

[21degrees]

I am sure theirs got to be someone you know whos looking for guys, if not tell him to come to Canada.

[vettehead]

Yea letting him know now is the honorable thing to do for him and his family. He'll have more opportunity to plan or shop his skills.

My 2 cents

[troyorr]

Any chance you anticipate installs to pick up later? If so, what will you do if you let him go and he finds work elsewhere? Can you afford to lose the experience? Could you offer him some reduced hours until this bump in the economy improves? Talk it over with the employee. Maybe he has a solution you could consider. Put him on unemployment for 26 weeks and then see how the economy is going. That will put you into April and things may have picked up by then.

[flange]

Get a big cigar, light it, call him in and tell him honestly that he is oing to be let go, all the while smoking the cigar, leaning back, and having your feet upon the desk! or you could do the right thing as suggested. We around here have a little network of contractors who each call one another first before a layoff to see if the other needs any help. We kinda have a no layoff pact, and try to keep our guys busy if at all possible. It is a rarety when one of us cannot find something for the other to do.

[Space Racer]

We laid off an installer a while back.
He was with the company for around
15 years.

He was a little rough around the edges.

Man was he PO'd.

He expected to retire from our company.

Next thing you know he got hired as a
lead man at a commercial hvac co
making about 50 a year.

He was just scraping by with us.

[BamaCool]

just goes to show what can happen when you throw away 10 years of your life with a mgr or company owner who is "business challenged", this is why i only worked for a small company for about a year and a half, i got the exposure i needed on certain equipment, made the company some money, and i got the hell out before i got the shaft. oh and im sure that your letting him go because your business is struggling and not because you found someone cheeper.

well for someone who invested that many years with you, the very least that you can do is let him know right now so that he can start looking, i think this is the most honorable thing that you can do.

Does it sound like he WANTS to let this guy go??? It sounds to me like it's more out of necessity. Put yourself in his shoes. Maybe, when you "got the hell out", you left that guy in a bind. Ever think of that?

[shadetree29]

just goes to show what can happen when you throw away 10 years of your life with a mgr or company owner who is "business challenged", this is why i only worked for a small company for about a year and a half, i got the exposure i needed on certain equipment, made the company some money, and i got the hell out before i got the shaft. oh and im sure that your letting him go because your business is struggling and not because you found someone cheeper.

well for someone who invested that many years with you, the very least that you can do is let him know right now so that he can start looking, i think this is the most honorable thing that you can do.

Wow seems like you have it all figured out...good for you.

[shadetree29]

Thank you for most of your thoughts...I am in agreement with most of you to lay my table on the cards now rather than blindside him. It's the first time in 15 years that I have had to let people go out of necessity rather than a lack of performance. There will most likely be others but he would be the only long time worker.
My biggest concern is that if he thinks he is going he will dog it.....Guess I will have to keep an eye out for that.

[21degrees]

Don't get me wrong but you gave this man a job for 10 years and he was getting paid. So do whats is best for the company. If you think he is not going to screw you, tell him. I jut always worry about them doing something stupid or getting hurt purposely for WCB. IT has happened to me when I was in Union. You would let guys know that they were getting laid off at the end of the week, so they could prepare themself and you always had 1 or 2 that would end up hurt.

[r404a]

Shadetree,
This situation is the precise reason that I would never want to be in the office. I have some thoughts on this, but first, I have to say that this is not an isolated case. All of us will be seeing more of this soon, I feel. Companies are doing what they have to do.
Now, to your issue at hand. As a worker, I feel that honesty is the gentlemanly thing to do. the man has worked for you for 10 years. Now, as said before, this has a been a mutually beneficial situation. I would never want to own my own business. I don't want to ever manage people. as a service tech, I am not worth a hoot without a shop to give me a job.
My boss just very recently was in your shoes. Had to tell our pipefitter things aren't looking good for his hours. The hall doesn't have anything, either. Boss said that he felt that he had to let the guy know what is going on.
He is pissed, but he has time to look around. if you are the sole owner, you have to make this decision. If not, ask management for guidance. I think the best answer for you would come from another owner on this site. good luck.

r404a

[The Penguin]

Getting laid off is a bitter pill to swallow - gets worse the more time in at a company.

treat them fairly and hopefully they will too.

HE will find something - like the rest of us working stiffs he has to there is no other option its the way it is

[neophytes serendipity]

...My biggest concern is that if he thinks he is going he will dog it.....Guess I will have to keep an eye out for that.

Typical owner response.

Yup, I guess that every employee out there is out to screw the boss at every opportunity.... What makes you think he hasn't been screwing you every day for the last 10 years?

I know the owner has that opinion at the company I am at now... They will get theirs when no good employee wants to work there, and all they get are transients between jobs.

[shadetree29]

Typical owner response.

Yup, I guess that every employee out there is out to screw the boss at every opportunity.... What makes you think he hasn't been screwing you every day for the last 10 years?

I know the owner has that opinion at the company I am at now... They will get theirs when no good employee wants to work there, and all they get are transients between jobs.

Yes it is a typical response because it happens. I guess owners shouldn't take inventory either? In a perfect world i would love to be able to go by some sort of an honor code but we can't. It's not that everyone is out to screw an owner it's the fact that all it takes is one dishonest person to set a company back.