Originally posted on LinkedIn
When should you let someone go? And almost as important — how? My version has 2 categories.
The first and most controversial: any new hire who doesn’t deliver in the first two months (or two weeks!) — goodbye.
🧹 “A new broom sweeps clean” — one of the truest sayings in the world. And if the new broom sweeps badly, don’t wait.
Typical hiring process: post broadly, narrow to top ~20 for a test, interview top 5, pick top 1. If top 1 doesn’t work out, move on and call top 2.
🎢 The second and most common: a veteran team member. Someone who’s been with you a while, has done well, has grown — and hits a rough patch.
Immediate feedback (don’t wait for a semi-annual 360 or anything like that) with a clear date for when improvement is expected. Hopefully they improve (with consistent support, of course).
If it doesn’t work — three options. Review what prevented improvement. If there’s a clear reason, one new and final deadline. If not, consider moving them to a different role. If there’s no clear role fit — no way around it. If the issue was on the improvement side and they didn’t improve — make the call. If they did improve, great — we all learned from the exercise.
Edge case: the up-and-downers. Someone who performs well for 3 months, then poorly for 3, then well for 3 again. This is tricky — years can pass in those cycles. By the third repetitive cycle, I think you have to have the conversation.
💬 Now, the how. It should always come with written and clear reasons, a review of the feedback journey that led there, and a firm but empathetic decision about how to help with their next steps.
This is what works best in my experience — but I’m no expert. It allows you to hire fast, test fast, find fit fast — and maintain a team that understands performance isn’t optional, while still respecting work-life balance.
What do you think? What’s your decision process? Calling on my HR expert friends Catalina Montealegre Góngora and Angela Maria Zapata Chaves