The Firing of Juan Williams

Much has been written on this subject, and I’m not sure I can add much. It seems that most people are outraged; want Juan Williams rehired; and accuse NPR of wrongful termination. A firing always gets people upset. The more public the firing of a well-known person, the greater the chance for outrage. It’s not like Juan Williams is the first person to ever be fired for subjective reasons.

There appears to be nothing unlawful about Williams’ firing. NPR had already counseled — maybe disciplined — Williams about what he was saying publicly. There’s no question the NPR powers that be didn’t want him appearing on FOX News. NPR’s interpretation of the policy on which Williams’ firing was based was reasonable. It could have been interpreted a different way, but that happens all the time. 

The problem was the way NPR fired him (for which NPR’s CEO has apologized). It wasn’t illegal. It was just stupid, and NPR prides itself on not being stupid. After Williams made what NPR considered to be offensive remarks about Muslims on FOX, it decided to fire him without giving him a chance to explain or defend what he did. He was fired over the phone. Although I’m not going to the trouble to research this, I’d be willing to bet that when Shirley Sherrod was fired in much the same way, NPR’s reporting on Sherrod’s firing was negative.

Some thought-to-be-well-known-basics. If you think an employee should be fired, don’t fire him until he’s had an opportunity to tell his side of the story — in person, face-to-face. Don’t fire an employee over the phone or by email. Treat an employee the way you would want to be treated under the same set of circumstances. There’s no law that says you have to fire this way — unless you count the law of common sense and decency.

1. 

   Nae says:

   October 25, 2010 at 10:50 am

   It also goes to show that even well respected people/organizations can easily fall into an emotional’stupidity trap.’ We must be vigilent and alert at all times. Remember to be fair and as unbiased as humanly possible. Even so, you might still be acused of something, but at least you will be able to look at yourself in the mirror without shuddering or calling yourself an idiot.
2. 

   ACU Frank says:

   October 25, 2010 at 11:38 am

   It sounds more and more like Williams kept deliberately doing the things he was told not to by his NPR bosses. We’ve all been in that situation… dealing with an employee who is publicly disobedient, as if they are daring you to do something about it. In this case, it looks like NPR took the bait and will pay the price in terms of reputation.

   Of course, it was a win-win for Williams. He gets to be the darling of the right (for a few minutes, at least), and he gets a huge payday from Fox. I guess NPR missed the seminar on non-compete agreements, too.
3. 

   John Phillips says:

   October 25, 2010 at 2:35 pm

   Nae and Frank,

   Both of you make good points, and I appreciate your adding them to this post. They make the post more complete.

   John