Let people go with dignity

Why this rule exists

How you end someone's time on the team is watched by everyone who stays, and it tells them exactly how much your stated values are worth under pressure. A firing handled with cruelty or cowardice teaches the whole team that safety here is conditional. Even when a separation is right, and sometimes it clearly is, the person deserves to keep their dignity, and you owe them clarity long before the final conversation. Done well, letting someone go is hard and humane. Done badly, it quietly corrodes the trust of everyone remaining.