PSY 665 Topic 8 DQ 2
If you had to fire someone, how would you end the conversation and what would you do
immediately afterwards? What kind of effect do you feel the conversation would have on you
personally? If you have ever had to fire someone, how did that experience affect you?
Directness is important and so is empathy during the dismissal conversation. Ending the
conversation with empathy and offering a reference is how I would plan to go about it. However,
sticking to a planned script does not always work out. It can be difficult to anticipate the reaction
of the employee and going off script is sometimes necessary (Brown, 2010). I think it would be a
difficult task, especially if I have an established relationship with the employee.
Compartmentalizing and moving forward with the termination may bring out a side of me that
the employee has not seen before and may appear to be cold or detached. This is why it is
important for me to show empathy and offer a reference. I have been a part of a dismissal
conversation, but my part in that conversation was more about logistics and less about the reason
for dismissal. Therefore, I was not impacted in the same way the manager may have been by the
dismissal. They were visibly upset once the fired employee left the room and understandably so.
Witnessing this a few times in the past makes me think I could very well be negatively impacted
on an emotional level.
References