Don't Fire Yourself!

DON'T SACK YOURSELF

Sacking yourself is not as hard as it sounds. It is easier done than thought. Up to 80% of the people who are sacked, fired or let go, save for a changed job role, do it to themselves. They don't do it willingly; they just do not know they are doing it. Having said that I have to explain myself.

I am always amazed at the passion new staff have for the job. This show usually lasts as long as the probation. Once the hiring process is complete, work settles into the routine mode. So long as one gets paid, the job gets done. Then suddenly, the challenge is gone. When the familiar trip begins, it signals that the end is near.  The familiar trip can last as long as the search for another job, or as short as the bosses work fuse. It is a tug of war between the two.

Staff do not think that the boss knows about job cycles. But as surely as a farmer knows when it is about to rain, the boss can tell how long who will last. When things become familiar, people give little signs that they want to leave. They drop the ball, come in late and argue for ways to reduce their workload. They do one days' work in two, three or four days. They think the boss has no idea of what they want to do. In the long run, it does nobody any good. So the boss gives in, takes the cue, and sacks you. The boss knows that he will look bad to you, but so do you.

Allan Bukusi