Fitting in

So, my boss terminated a senior manager.

(Not me).

The guy just didn't fit in.

I didn't have much to do with him but I found him rude and arrogant.

Others felt the same. At least one of his reports was thinking of resigning because of him.

Other senior members of the department (who didn't report to him) also thought he was a joke.

German companies tend to practise Probezeit ("Test time"): a probationary period of usually six months.

During this time either the employee or the employer can terminate the contract with usually just two weeks' notice and with no need to give a reason. After the Probezeit it is very difficult to sack someone and the notice period can run to three months, for any level of employee, which in turn makes it hard to leave a company for another job.

Now this is better than other countries. For example, the legal minimum in the UK is one week's notice for the first year, although companies often offer better conditions in their contracts so you aren't anxious for a whole year.

And in the USA I understand it is often the case that you are permanently on a week's notice and it is, in general, much easier to sack someone.

Still, in Germany the Probezeit period is quite a tense time and people normally keep their heads down. Which is not that good for companies either, especially for hiring recruits who should be in leadership roles.

I didn't keep my head down that much in this company but fortunately I fitted in. I still found the first six months quite tense - not least as the company is classed as a hyper growth business which meant I had rather a lot going on and a lot to quickly assimilate.

This guy didn't keep his head down either and was very vocal and liked to argue. I keep thinking that his MBA (actually an Exec MBA) proved the alternative meaning: "Mediocre But Arrogant".

It's sad when someone loses their job but sometimes also a relief.

I hope he finds somewhere more suitable for him.