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What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation.  Even after being fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which led to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired. And hopefully, your team trusts you enough to know that you would never fire someone for a "random reason". If not, you have bigger problems to work on.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

When I was young, I worked in a supermarket. One of the clerks was fired for stealing a $0.19 pen. Word got around quickly without any manager ever having to explain why he was fired - the grapevine took care of that. And everyone already knew that stealing could get you fired.

(As @closetnoc wisely points out, there are issues with liability if you choose to talk about reasons for firing someone. The company and individuals can be sued for what they say post firing. What you say could potentially be used as evidence in a discrimination or defamation lawsuit. If you still decide to go that route, talk with HR first.)

What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. 

Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation. 

Even after being fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. 

They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which led to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired. And hopefully, your team trusts you enough to know that you would never fire someone for a "random reason". If not, you have bigger problems to work on.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

When I was young, I worked in a supermarket. One of the clerks was fired for stealing a $0.19 pen. Word got around quickly without any manager ever having to explain why he was fired - the grapevine took care of that. And everyone already knew that stealing could get you fired.

(As @closetnoc wisely points out, there are issues with liability if you choose to talk about reasons for firing someone. The company and individuals can be sued for what they say post firing. What you say could potentially be used as evidence in a discrimination or defamation lawsuit. If you still decide to go that route, talk with HR first.)

What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation. Even when fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which led to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired. And hopefully, your team trusts you enough to know that you would never fire someone for a "random reason". If not, you have bigger problems to work on.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

When I was young, I worked in a supermarket. One of the clerks was fired for stealing a $0.19 pen. Word got around quickly without any manager ever having to explain why he was fired - the grapevine took care of that. And everyone already knew that stealing could get you fired.

What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation. Even after being fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which led to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired. And hopefully, your team trusts you enough to know that you would never fire someone for a "random reason". If not, you have bigger problems to work on.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

When I was young, I worked in a supermarket. One of the clerks was fired for stealing a $0.19 pen. Word got around quickly without any manager ever having to explain why he was fired - the grapevine took care of that. And everyone already knew that stealing could get you fired.

(As @closetnoc wisely points out, there are issues with liability if you choose to talk about reasons for firing someone. The company and individuals can be sued for what they say post firing. What you say could potentially be used as evidence in a discrimination or defamation lawsuit. If you still decide to go that route, talk with HR first.)

What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation. Even when fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which let to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

What should I do in this dilemma? Am I allowed to ruin his reputation in this team, or should I just pray that this behavior isn't repeated again?

No. Remain professional. Don't ruin anybody's reputation. Even when fired, former employees deserve to be treated professionally and with respect. They may have not fit the job well, but they didn't kill anyone (unless they did, in which case you really don't need to tell your team not to kill anyone).

It's virtually never the case that behavior which resulted in someone getting fired isn't already known as something that "isn't done". If you feel compelled to give some reason, use the same generic phrases that you would use if you were asked why you were fired - "It wasn't a good fit.", "We decided to go in another direction", "It just didn't work out", etc.

In general, a person getting fired is seldom surprised. Warnings, chances to improve, and formal Performance Improvement Plans should take care of that. If they are surprised, think over why that is, and find a way to convey your expectations more clearly.

For your team, emphasize your expectations during regular one-on-one meetings. If for some reason you haven't already made clear that the intolerable behavior which led to the firing is bad, then you must list that as something that is not permitted without referencing the individual. If you are communicating with your team well on a regular basis, there's no need to pray about their behavior.

Although I don't know the specifics of your situation, I think you aren't giving your team enough credit for knowing what they must do to prevent being fired. Once you announce that this individual is leaving (or is gone), human nature tells us that if they don't already know why, your team members will ask their former colleague about it and learn the reason why. You want the fired employee to relay that they were treated professionally even when being fired. And hopefully, your team trusts you enough to know that you would never fire someone for a "random reason". If not, you have bigger problems to work on.

The last few times I had to fire someone, it was simply because they weren't capable of handling what the job required. They weren't bad people, they were just a bad fit. The rest of the team had already come to the same conclusion, so I really never needed to explain it. I did need to think harder why I wasn't able to more accurately assess their abilities before I hired them, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistake.

When I was young, I worked in a supermarket. One of the clerks was fired for stealing a $0.19 pen. Word got around quickly without any manager ever having to explain why he was fired - the grapevine took care of that. And everyone already knew that stealing could get you fired.