The person you hire when you have to fire

Many employers say firing staff is the most difficult think they have to do in the course of running their business. It should come as no surprise, then, that a category of consultants has emerged to perform this service for them.

According to Inc.com, HR outsourcing companies in the US now provide dedicated firing consultants who can either provide coaching to employers to help them better handle the dismissal process, or – no doubt for heftier fee – relieve the employer of having to go through the painful firing process by handling it for them.

One firing consultant for US HR outsourcing company TriNet told inc.com: “I work with some folks who have never fired someone before. They look to me to pull the trigger.”

But all this does beg one question – what happens when you have to fire the firing consultant?