As-salamu alaykum - guilty about firing a Muslim team member
As-salamu alaykum, brothers/sisters. I'm a Muslim manager at a company with a mixed team; a few on my team are also Muslim. When someone's clearly not a fit for the role or the group, we're encouraged to let them go before it hurts the rest of the team. There was one person I really hesitated to let go because they were a decent person and seemed like a good Muslim. They did their basic duties, but their attitude and some comments were affecting others. Looking back, they were a mis-hire - their personality just didn’t sit with the team and that sort of thing wasn't going to change. I made excuses for them for a long time, tried to be patient. In the end I had to have a direct conversation, point out examples and be strict. It was the right managerial move for the long-term health of the team, but I've never felt this guilty or drained afterwards. I keep feeling like I snatched away someone's rizq. I know a bit about their home situation and it hit me that I took away a big part of a struggling family's income. Even though it's normal for a manager to do this, as a Muslim I feel really down - like maybe I wasn't fair, or maybe I didn't give enough chances or help them grow. I keep praying I wasn't sinful in how I handled it and that Allah forgives me if I was wrong. I sincerely want them to find something better, but I also worry about their financial struggles. May Allah make it easy for them and for me. Has anyone been through this? How did you deal with the guilt and make peace with the decision? Any advice or duas would mean a lot.