Have you ever fired someone from a job?

I have, on several occasions. It gets easier each time.

You will respect my authority!!!

In a way, I have. As a bandleader, I have "fired" musicians I was working with before. I have never had the authority to fire someone at one of my regular jobs.

what instrument do you play elijahblue?...vocalist?

I've come close, but luckily never had to fire anybody. I'm sure I would find it very difficult.

magbast: keys. I've sung backup when necessary, but I'm not much of a vocalist.

The firing was actually a group effort.

Yes I have. and More than one. When I was interim manager of a women's clothing store. I hired and fired at will...I was a human resources god....*insert lightening bolts and wicked laughter here*

I never had the authority to fire someone, but I have been asked my opinion on firing an employee.

cool..i play guitar...need a rhythm player? ;)

The second option makes it sound like I would have if I could have. Okay, maybe I would have...

SueBee: It is hard at first. I've been in my current position at my job for 9 months, and the first person that I hired was ironically the first person I fired. He was living in his car, and for some reason I tended to give him the benefit of the doubt about everything. I will never be so trusting again. My boss and I proved that he was stealing from us and confronted him. We had our signals straight - when my boss put her pen on the table after the employee admitted in front of me that he stole all this stuff, I was supposed to leave the room and call the police. I did, and I felt so guilty. I was shaking and nearly in tears. But my attitude about him changed when I read in the paper that after he was put on probation for this, he broke into someone's home and stole a bunch of stuff. I guess he didn't learn. Ever since then it's gotten MUCH easier! Now I'm affectionately (jokingly) known as the Queen dog by my loyal employees.

Yes, sort of... but it was more a "we're not going to renew your contract". ...but, I did have to tell the person personally.

Although I don't at the moment, in my previous job I did have the authority, and at one point I came very close to using it. Even that much was an extremely unpleasant experience.

As young as 18 years old I had to fire someone from a retail shop I managed. He was just habitually and chronically late in a shop that only had one employee working at a time, so the person working before him (usually me) had to work very long shifts. In my current capacity I hire people for short jobs- a few days at a time, and have chosen not to hire someone back, but have not let them go in the middle of a job.

There are people who I would fire if I could.

Yes and no. I've dismissed people from positions in volunteer organizations (both by asking for resignations and by outright firing them). But I've never fired anyone from a paying position, and if I continue to avoid management at work I never will.