Tuesdays and Thursdays have also been flagged as bad times as well. That's because workers who were fired on Tuesday may feel they got used for an extra day of their labor. Thursday, much like Friday, may not give an employee the time they need to address their future concerns.
Over the last 10 years, January has been on average one of the most common months for layoffs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Friday – Friday is the least conspicuous day to fire someone. It also allows the weekend for things to settle down and provides a few days so that everyone can gain some perspective. If you worry about an angry employee who might cause problems, this might be ideal.
The problem with Monday.
Given Friday's drawbacks, some HR experts advocate for Monday as the best day to fire someone. After all, that gives former employees an entire week to resolve any outstanding issues with your company and also to make a start on their job searches.
Preferably, this decision is made mid-week, early in the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. This gives the employee some work hours during the week, and he or she doesn't feel as if they wasted their time coming to work which happens when you fire an employee on Monday.
The main signs you're about to get fired
Your boss wants to meet you one-on-one suspiciously often. You feel your boss has become strangely distant. Your coworkers seem to avoid you. They stopped inviting you to important meetings.
Some signs that you may be getting fired are they remove you from your projects, you're overlooked for more important assignments, everyone starts avoiding you, they put everything into writing, they don't respect you, you had a bad performance review, or your company is in financial troubles.
Letting an employee go in private gives them the opportunity to process everything before their colleagues find out, so make sure you avoid public places. A conference room is a good place to hold the meeting. It's a private, neutral location that is free from disruptions.
40% of people are fired from a job in their lifetime.
40% of Americans have been fired from a job. 15.4 million Americans were laid off in 2022, a 62% decrease from 2020. Firing an employee that will be replaced costs between 16.1% and 20.4% of their annual salary, rising as high as 213% for senior executives.
It's Good to Feel Bad
If you feel bad about the need to terminate someone, it shows you are human and compassionate. The last thing you want is to become so inured to terminations that they no longer bother you. Of course, they do get easier with experience, but they never get easy.
To have the most privacy and allow you to quickly leave the office if things get contentious, emotional, or awkward, time your resignation for 5:00 or whenever your workday ends. Resigning on a Friday lets the dust settle and gives your boss time to think about a replacement plan.
December. December is traditionally the worst month for hiring. Companies want to wait until they have their budgets for the new year to make hiring decisions. Additionally, the holiday season usually takes people out of the office, which impacts decision-making.
While employers can call with a job offer any day of the week, Tuesday is statistically the most popular day to send out offers, closely followed by Thursday.
If you prefer, you can simply write "job ended," "laid off," or "terminated" on your job application. This is recommended since your goal with your application and resume is to get an interview.
Keep it respectful and brief. There is no best way to fire an employee, but it helps to make your message simple and to the point. Neither you nor the person fired is going to want it to last any longer than possible. You will need to provide a reason for the firing and then let them know what will happen next.
Resigning on Monday or Tuesday is for your boss' benefit. Resigning on Friday may deflate his/her weekend. Also, your boss will be in a better business frame of mind on Monday and will be able to use the whole week to begin making plans for handling your business.
Leaving a job shortly after you've started can be a red flag to future employers. Most professionals believe you should stay at a job for a minimum of one year to show some level of commitment before moving on.
The best-case scenario—and honestly, the most common reaction—is that your boss will accept your resignation with understanding and sincere congratulations. Your manager will be happy to see that you're advancing your career and moving on to something bigger and better.
There's a simple reason why fear of being fired is so common: losing a job is an all-too-common experience. At some point in your working life, you may encounter an employer that unfairly terminates you, you may end up in a job that's a mutual bad fit, or there may be a recession that leads to larger layoffs.
Getting fired is no big deal these days. Unless you have done something extremely unethical which has affected the overall existence of the company and put a big question mark on your conduct as a professional, being fired from the previous employer will not harm you or your career in any way.