Terminated employees say the most interesting things. And, given the fallout over the Duke Energy and Progress merger/termination of theCEO of the new company, it doesn’t appear to matter at what the level the employee worked.

As many of you may know, Duke Energy and Progress, two North Carolina energy companies, merged after receiving approval from state and federal regulators.  One part of the approval process was an assurance from Duke Energy that Bill Johnson would remain CEO of the newly merged company. Unfortunately for Mr. Johnson, just minutes after he was elected to the position of CEO, he was terminated. Now, Mr. Johnson has been asked by North Carolina regulators to testify about his termination and his thoughts on the merger.  I don’t know much about the merger between Duke Energy and Progress, but you can bet that Mr. Johnson will have a few choice words to say about the merger and his removal.

Terminating employees is never easy, but, as a client once told me, an employee should never be surprised by his or her termination.   Of course, effectively managing a difficult employee takes time and patience.  If you handle the entire process professionally, and document the problems you have with the employee, the termination should be easier, or at least less problematic.  And, an employee that is treated professionally and with respect through the termination process will likely have fewer bad things to say about your company.