“The Apprentice” may be reality TV, but the way Donald Trump fires the show’s job candidates isn’t all that realistic, say those in the unenviable position of delivering the verbal pink slip.
Trump is having a great time turning “You’re fired” into a pop-culture buzz phrase as he eliminates contestants one by one on national television.
But executives operating in real-life reality, as opposed to TV reality, say firing is one of the worst, most emotionally draining parts of their jobs.
Executives rarely utter the dreaded words. The phrase “You’re fired” is one of the most loaded in the English language, ranking up with “I don’t love you anymore” and “You have cancer.” It’s a total rejection that separates the employee from his livelihood, his work friendships and, sometimes, his self-esteem.
Managers won’t humiliate the employee by dressing him down in a boardroom before co-workers, as Trump does on the show. And the victim doesn’t get a pensive, unescorted ride down in an elevator – more likely he’ll be walked out by security guards.
So far, none of the people Trump has terminated has reacted with more than a steely glare. But human resources personnel say they have to be prepared for the worst when letting someone go for cause, meaning, for instance, their job performance isn’t up to par, they stole or lied on the job, or they violated a company policy. They tell of employees who have broken down sobbing, flipped tables, let off a stream of swear words or even threatened to blow up the company.
Trump has this to say about his television firing style: “That’s what it’s really like. You sit around, you discuss it with people, and, in the end, ‘You’re fired.’ It’s not a lot different, other than in perhaps certain cases the show is a little bit harsher, a little bit quicker. If I like the person, I take my time. I try to be as nice as possible.”
But even The Donald himself admits that when he’s really firing an employee, he says, “You’re fired,” only about 20 percent of the time. “Usually, I try to soften the language, because it’s so definite,” Trump said. “When you say it, there are no questions.”
In real life, Trump often isn’t the one who delivers the bad news. He has one of his executives do it. “The higher up they are, the more likely it is I would do it because they would be reporting to me,” Trump says.
It’s not surprising that Trump doesn’t relish being the messenger.
“Anyone who says they like it is either a sadist or a liar,” says Michael Kavanagh, vice president of human resources for AMC Computer Corp. in Manhattan. “Firing somebody is not fun. Depending on how long that person has been with you or the company, you know a lot about the person, whether they’re a family person. You do build personal relationships, friendships. It can be very difficult.”
It’s only a pleasure to fire someone under two circumstances, says Daymond John, founder and chief executive of the Manhattan-based apparel company FUBU the Collection: “The only time I enjoy it is when the person has been pulling the wool over my eyes or held back the team. Then you’re cutting a cancerous tumor out, and it’s a relief.”
There are various theories about when it’s best to fire someone.
“I prefer the beginning of the week, so the person doesn’t go home and stew over the weekend,” says Rob Potorski, vice president of human resources at Hicksville, N.Y.,-based Kozy Shack Enterprises, who says he’s done more than 100 firings for cause in his 30 years in human resources. The person can begin the grieving process and then start his new job – that of searching for one.
Trump says he likes to do the firing at the end of the day. “You’re usually better off firing people at the end of the day, when they’re exhausted,” he quips.
Potorski will make sure the meeting is short and to the point, and, whenever possible, in person. “It’s our role to let the person know his or her life isn’t over,” Potorski says. “Just the job opportunity is over for them. I just remind myself what it must feel like to be in the other chair. The quicker I do this, the better I’m going to feel.”
Potorski has been in the other chair – once, right after he had to lay off 1,000 people, his own job was eliminated.
“It didn’t feel any better than getting fired because the result was the same. I was very angry. Very angry,” Potorski says. “At the time, there were other people doing similar work, and I felt singled out. That’s usually the reaction. ‘Why me?”’
But, deep down, most people know that they’re going to be fired, and they know why, Trump says. “I think most people know it’s coming.”
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