Having to give notice to someone that you're letting them go sucks.
Having to give someone notice, not because of performance issues, but because of a budget crunch, sucks.
Having to give notice to someone you hired yourself and worked closely with sucks.
(Having to take on all that person's work on top of your own sucks, too, but in a Rather Bothersome way, rather than in a God I Hate This way.)
And, yes, it sucks worse for the person being let go, I realize that. And, no, I don't have any doubt this individual will find a good, new job pretty darned quickly (I'll even serve as a reference if asked, HR be damned).
But it still sucks.
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Never been in a position where I was involved in hiring and firing… and never wanted that spot either. Seems like letting someone go is one of the hardest jobs to have, especially when it's not because of performance.
Sorry about that. I've had to manage layoffs and it's such a feeling of powerlessness. It ate me up inside for a long time.
+Marty Shaw Well, it is one of the reasons they pay me the "big bucks," I suppose.
As a conflict-averse person, it's something that's particularly painful. (I suppose it says something that one of the most difficult experiences I had in my college years was "firing" someone from my D&D game — and that was definitely "for cause.")
+Scott Croom Yeah, after the brainstorming of "How can I figure out a way out of this" fails, it really is an oddly powerless situation.
I will say that I got a lot of (emotional) support, before and after, from my boss, HR, and (afterwards) colleagues. The person laid off deserved more of it, but …
Firing someone for cause isn't necessarily easier. I had to let him go because he lied about his driving record, but was nice and let him stay on until the end of the month. In the last week he sexually harassed a customer. I felt pretty stupid; I made a bad call in hiring him, and a worse call in firing him.
+Dan Eastwood No, true enough. I've had to do that, too. There is, in those cases, at least the sense that there's a reason for it (doing it for the other workers, the customers, the integrity of the workplace, whatever), though it's still difficult (and may be further exacerbated by "If only I'd been a better manager, this wouldn't be happening" feelings).
I suppose "this budget over here will be in the red if we don't let this person go" is a reason, too, but a lot less motivational of one.
Hugs.