Conan’s firing highlights iniquitous U.S. hiring practices

And the question is: Who should really be fired?

OK. So the man is getting $33-million dollars and sure, that’s something.

Good for him. His future might be up in the air, just like the George Clooney (movie) laid-offs. But at least he has the means to plant his feet back on the ground. (See back story here.)

And Conan’s staff at the Tonight show are getting a $12-million pay-off. It’s good to know that.

But — is that enough? What about the powers who made the wacko decision to move Jay Leno to the 10 p.m. slot (apparently in part to save NBC a fortune by replacing “real” shows that cost big bucks with a talk show that cost far less).

But who the hell wanted to watch Leno at 10 p.m.?

Who the hell wanted to watch Leno at all — feting Rush Limbaugh  — and doing silly Dodgem Car antics with otherwise intelligent people?

So anyway, Conan O’Brien has been forced out of his role of Tonight Show host after less than eight months.

From March 1, Jay Leno will be back doing the job he did for 17 years before moving to the 10 o’clock slot. And, well, who the hell was ever going to watch him — or any talk show — at 10 p.m.?

The idea was daft.

And how the hell can someone who has done a job for 17 years want to go back to it? Which is another question altogether and not the subject of this blog.

So, Conan’s fired. History.

He’ll no doubt rise like the Phoenix.

He deserves to laugh all the way to the bank for what I hope he doesn’t see as a public humiliation. (He looks like a pretty intense bugger and I don’t believe being fired is easy for anyone.)

But what about the person at the top who fucked up? Who turned Conan into a pawn? Who was there pulling the strings? Who moved him around? Who set him — and Leno — up for failure?

Whose bright money-saving idea was the Tonight Show switch? Who is the irresponsible A-Hole who decided on the strategy in the first place?

Because I’d like to see him go. And sans $33-million. Sans $1-million. Sans a single cent.

It strikes me that this whole to-do is a large-scale and very public manifestation of the way companies in the United States hire people and fire people. It totally dovetails with the at-will
system that operates in this country. (See my link: You’re fired! And — is the ‘at will’ clause the cause of the bad boss syndrome?)

As I say there:

In the United States, it is not necessary to be a good boss. You can, in fact, be a terrible boss. This is because the general practice is that, at any time, you can summon anyone on your staff and say: “You’re fired.” No cause needed. No reason. Just be sure they can’t prove ageism, sexism, racism or something as direct as that, and you’re protected.

(You must know? The employer is free to discharge individuals “for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all.” Click on this Nolo link for the full scoop and to learn that, except in the state of Montana, if you are employed at will, your employer does not need good cause to fire you.)

When I was going to hire a senior editor on a publication and was concerned that while he was a good writer, he might not be a good senior editor, my boss said, “Well, you can just fire him.”

Earlier, when I accepted the job there, someone said to me: “Do you know, he hires people — and as quickly, fires them?”

At the time, I’d lost jobs — because a nonprofit folded in one case and because a magazine closed down in another.

But I was new to the “Up in The Air” phenomenon. And let me say, Clooney and company (namely, the writer) do a great job showing firing like it is, by which I mean: No joke.

Day after day I hear stories of bad bosses. And why should you be a good boss, as in communicating well, relating to staff, incorporate principled leadership practices (check out Stanford School of Business dean Garth Saloner talking about principled leadership here), when you can just fire someone on a whim?

This very week a friend who is doing the job of four creative directors for a magazine group where she gets paid less than she should if there was only one magazine: “These bosses on the surface are friendly and smiley. But they cannot say what they want. It’s all about ‘Just do it,” then, ‘This is not what we want (moron).’ Very tricky to work with.”

But she’s hanging onto her job, for now. Because if there is one job worse than a really bad job, it’s looking for a new job.

Go, Conan! And good luck.

If you want support getting the employment laws changed in the United States in the interest of making companies and bosses responsible and accountable, give me a buzz.

Tagged as: at will, fired, job loss