Fired someone, feeling guilty

[Pharm.D2020]

I’m a pharmacy manager and had to fire a tech today. Mostly due to attendance, been out “sick” almost 30 days out of 90 days of employment. Also had other issues, this person just didn’t fit with the existing team, left a lot of tension when they worked, not open to constructive criticism, constantly compared this job to last job. They counseled patients though tech counseling is prohibited by law. Yet I feel so guilty and horrible letting this person go, especially this close to Christmas. I can handle all the other parts of managing but I’ve never had to fire anyone, yes I put people on improvement plans, talked about missteps etc but never had to fire anyone. Despite knowing it’s the right thing for my pharmacy I’m overwhelmed with guilt. How do you deal with it. This person is not a bad employee when they are present but they are just unreliable.

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[mentos]

They will make more as a cashier at Target.

 

[RxPreceptor]

"sick" 30/90...how can you feel ANY remorse over this fact?

 

[lord999]

You think ahead to being short a person and how the next one will be better. You should feel guilt for cut hours or issues with competent staff, but performance related dismissal should be viewed as why not sooner if the employee was problematic. Otherwise, you poison the place.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

What was your alternative plan? What you permit, you promote.

 

[owlegrad]

Think about it this way: they fired themself.

Seriously, you gave them every chance to improve and tried to improve their performance. It’s not your place to feel guilty.

Firing is one of the sucky parts of managing though so I get that. It’s better than never firing anyone though, that way leads to all the good techs quitting and all you have are the bad ones.

 

[grizzlesgrizzlies]

You know how the saying goes, "80% of success is showing up"

 

[VA77]

They will draw unemployment and be fine

 

[Sunshine98*]

I wish I could fire some people!

 

[RxPreceptor]

Would not be surprised if staff thank you for firing this individual (less burden to the team overall)
I've personally thanked PIC for firing certain technicians in the past

 

[Pharm.D2020]

I know it’s best move for the pharmacy and am feeling a little more at peace with it. Glad it’s behind me, now to start looking for a replacement.

 

[JustFillIt]

They will make more as a cashier at Target.

Great point - last place I would want to work for an entry level wage is on the line at a hell hole like Walgreens.

Forget that - I would deliver mail, drive bus, or be a lunch lady. I’ve seriously always wanted to be a lunch lady.

Op you got nothing to worry about - hopefully this person will make a great lunch lady.

 

[pencilandpen]

if what you described is true, you did yourself and your rx team a solid

 

[lord999]

I know it’s best move for the pharmacy and am feeling a little more at peace with it. Glad it’s behind me, now to start looking for a replacement.

If it's your first time terminating someone, congratulations, you pass the management Turing test for humanity. Let's just say that some people are too ok with it the first time. The Civil Service actually keeps track of that for assignments and I make it a point to avoid managers and executives who have that designation in their jacket.

Personnel change is always hard, whether hiring or terminating. The worst (and thank God I have never had to do this in my career) is to layoff or force reassign someone for reasons outside the employee's control (budgetary but also conflict of personality issues where they are still good workers but are not a fit). It doesn't get easier with time for times where you should legitimately feel bad, but this is not one of them. As @owlegrad said above, they fired themselves. The old saying in government is to let a problem employee keep doing what they're doing and they'll eventually have their score settled. I have found this to be more a truism than not.

 

[VA77]

Yeap firing someone on Christmas week makes me feel like a Wall St CEO!

 

[PharmacistFl12]

I’m a pharmacy manager and had to fire a tech today. Mostly due to attendance, been out “sick” almost 30 days out of 90 days of employment. Also had other issues, this person just didn’t fit with the existing team, left a lot of tension when they worked, not open to constructive criticism, constantly compared this job to last job. They counseled patients though tech counseling is prohibited by law. Yet I feel so guilty and horrible letting this person go, especially this close to Christmas. I can handle all the other parts of managing but I’ve never had to fire anyone, yes I put people on improvement plans, talked about missteps etc but never had to fire anyone. Despite knowing it’s the right thing for my pharmacy I’m overwhelmed with guilt. How do you deal with it. This person is not a bad employee when they are present but they are just unreliable.

I have fired so many techs that I lost count mostly based on attendance. I have no guilt because it affects our ability to take care of our customers and increased risk of mistakes by bring short staffed.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Yeap firing someone on Christmas week makes me feel like a Wall St CEO!

the better.com guy? ya - he was a winner.

What is almost as crappy - a good friend of mine got layed off on August 31 - so they lost their insurance literally the next day - their 5 year old daughter had a MRI scheduled for Sept 1 that is now not covered. Seriously, if they would have waited one more day, she would at least have had insurance for the next month. And she was literally the only person being laid off at a small company - she was hired for a special project that the company realized they couldn't afford after 9 months.

 

[lord999]

the better.com guy? ya - he was a winner.

What is almost as crappy - a good friend of mine got layed off on August 31 - so they lost their insurance literally the next day - their 5 year old daughter had a MRI scheduled for Sept 1 that is now not covered. Seriously, if they would have waited one more day, she would at least have had insurance for the next month. And she was literally the only person being laid off at a small company - she was hired for a special project that the company realized they couldn't afford after 9 months.

And COBRA doesn't work if it's a small business. Why you work for a soulless corporation unfortunately.

 

[alpha12]

Don't worry. There is a labor shortage. The person will find a job soon.

 

[DH1987]

It sounds like you gave them a fair chance and despite your best efforts the employee refused to comply to the most basic standard of employment which is showing up to work when scheduled. Also, similar or better paying jobs are not hard to find, although being fired never looks good on a resume. But that was her fault and now she'll have to deal with the consequences that a reasonable person should have foreseen. I feel no pity for this person.

 

[Sparda29]

If it's your first time terminating someone, congratulations, you pass the management Turing test for humanity. Let's just say that some people are too ok with it the first time. The Civil Service actually keeps track of that for assignments and I make it a point to avoid managers and executives who have that designation in their jacket.

Personnel change is always hard, whether hiring or terminating. The worst (and thank God I have never had to do this in my career) is to layoff or force reassign someone for reasons outside the employee's control (budgetary but also conflict of personality issues where they are still good workers but are not a fit). It doesn't get easier with time for times where you should legitimately feel bad, but this is not one of them. As @owlegrad said above, they fired themselves. The old saying in government is to let a problem employee keep doing what they're doing and they'll eventually have their score settled. I have found this to be more a truism than not.

So the hospital where I worked per diem let go of all their per diems because some outside budget management company came in and made them cut staffing. So now, they do not have any per diems on the roster. Instead the full-timers get mandatory overtime.

It was such a bizarre phone call. You don't save money by cutting the per diems because we aren't guaranteed hours anyway. What's the harm in keeping them on the roster? The director and manager of the pharmacy were furious when HR told them they made to make cuts to the per diems.

 

[VA77]

So the hospital where I worked per diem let go of all their per diems because some outside budget management company came in and made them cut staffing. So now, they do not have any per diems on the roster. Instead the full-timers get mandatory overtime.

It was such a bizarre phone call. You don't save money by cutting the per diems because we aren't guaranteed hours anyway. What's the harm in keeping them on the roster? The director and manager of the pharmacy were furious when HR told them they made to make cuts to the per diems.

I don't believe the media when they say that hospitals are being overrun with Omicron because you would need every person available right now. Especially with the CDC saying that hospital workers are so needed that they should only quarantine for 7 days instead of 10 days. There is some shady shi* going on.

 

[Caverject]

the better.com guy? ya - he was a winner.

What is almost as crappy - a good friend of mine got layed off on August 31 - so they lost their insurance literally the next day - their 5 year old daughter had a MRI scheduled for Sept 1 that is now not covered. Seriously, if they would have waited one more day, she would at least have had insurance for the next month. And she was literally the only person being laid off at a small company - she was hired for a special project that the company realized they couldn't afford after 9 months.

The question becomes, will you be mindful of a situation like this when its time to make a hard decision on someone? If yes, then that is is great EQ (emotional intelligence) and you have a future in leadership.

 

[Drjc1977]

I’m a pharmacy manager and had to fire a tech today. Mostly due to attendance, been out “sick” almost 30 days out of 90 days of employment. Also had other issues, this person just didn’t fit with the existing team, left a lot of tension when they worked, not open to constructive criticism, constantly compared this job to last job. They counseled patients though tech counseling is prohibited by law. Yet I feel so guilty and horrible letting this person go, especially this close to Christmas. I can handle all the other parts of managing but I’ve never had to fire anyone, yes I put people on improvement plans, talked about missteps etc but never had to fire anyone. Despite knowing it’s the right thing for my pharmacy I’m overwhelmed with guilt. How do you deal with it. This person is not a bad employee when they are present but they are just unreliable.

I guess I do not understand why you feel bad. You are doing the job you are being paid to do. Saying this individual is doing a good job when they show up is like saying my car drives well when the brakes are working. This individual broke the law which puts the pharmacy in potential legal jeopardy. If this person has had their issues addressed, offered opportunity to correct bad behavior, but still does not perform up to the company standards, what choice do you have. Quite frankly, you didn't fire him/her, they fired themselves.

 

[Sabril]

Considering all the dumbf#rts that I have to put up with my entire career, all that I can say is techs ain't getting fired often enough

 

[knight on horse]

If what you say is true it was the right thing to do

 

[Reirrac]

You had a job to do. Firing unreliable toxic employees is the right thing to do. Don't feel guilty for the consequences of another's poor behavior.

 

[pinkpharmd]

I’m a pharmacy manager and had to fire a tech today. Mostly due to attendance, been out “sick” almost 30 days out of 90 days of employment. Also had other issues, this person just didn’t fit with the existing team, left a lot of tension when they worked, not open to constructive criticism, constantly compared this job to last job. They counseled patients though tech counseling is prohibited by law. Yet I feel so guilty and horrible letting this person go, especially this close to Christmas. I can handle all the other parts of managing but I’ve never had to fire anyone, yes I put people on improvement plans, talked about missteps etc but never had to fire anyone. Despite knowing it’s the right thing for my pharmacy I’m overwhelmed with guilt. How do you deal with it. This person is not a bad employee when they are present but they are just unreliable.

Kudos to you for taking your role seriously and getting rid of the technician. Apparently, there is a pharmacist technician shortage so I am sure he/she will find a job very soon.

Pharmacists, techs hit with burnout, frustration amid labor shortage

 

[pinkpharmd]

I wish I could fire some people!

Me too, there are endless possibilities of improving the workflow process, creating programs with the right group of people!

 

[BidingMyTime]

Forget that - I would deliver mail, drive bus, or be a lunch lady. I’ve seriously always wanted to be a lunch lady.

Delivering mail for the USPS is a great job (other than having to deal with dog bites.) Those jobs are union and and hard to come by

As for OP, how can you run a pharmacy if someone is calling in every 1 out of 3 days? They clearly weren't interested in the job, so don't feel guilty. The only think you might have done differently is talk them into PRN status, since they were working PRN anyway.