I do not envy anyone who has to fire others. Letting somebody down easy is a skill I simply don’t have. Every time I’ve broken up with someone, I have done it clunkily and a bit insensitively, which is really not ideal for delivering bad news. You need to tell the other person what’s happening directly, but not too directly. You need to be empathetic first and informative second. You need to make sure they cry after you fire them instead of when they’re in the room with you. It’s a tricky balance. 

There is something really upsetting about someone getting fired disrespectfully. It really shows that their time at the company wasn’t valued, and the bosses just wanted them gone as quickly as possible. This was the case with TikToker @quartsizemasonjar, who recorded her video calls discussing her imminent termination with her manager and the company’s HR representative. As you can see, their strategies were night and day.