This is one of Nolo's books that are very detailed and pertain to an extremely narrow topic. Hence the book with a broader coverage to read first is Nolo's 'Dealing With Problem Employees' by Amy DelPo and Lisa Guerin. There is some overlap in topics between the two books but 'Firing Without Fear' goes into almost everything you may want to know about this subject.

At first glance, this book seemed like one of Nolo's lighter books as it was the thinnest Nolo book I have but I felt different after reading through the book. There are 9 chapters and the book progresses in this fashion -

The first chapter discusses the many reasons why we are afraid to fire. The purpose of this chapter seems to be to connect to the reader and get the reader's interest. It does a good job in the 12 pages devoted to this chapter. The next chapter addresses a few alternatives to firing - like training, counseling, probation, suspension, etc. and finally giving the employee the option to leave (as opposed to firing). In my opinion, this topic is better addressed in the other book from Nolo that I mentioned above - 'Dealing with Problem Employees'.

The core of the book is in Chapters 3-5 with Chapter 3 categorizing 6 different types of behavior in employees that is very annoying and unproductive so you may want to give the employees a chance to correct the behavior before firing them. The 6 different personality types are The Gossip, The Fingerpointer, The Downer, The Braggart, The Slacker, and The Jokester. These terms are self explanatory but the book does a good job of spending a couple of pages painting a clearer picture of each type.

Chapter 4 describes Employment at Will and the various valid reasons for firing and the exceptions to the Employment at Will. I found this chapter of 34 pages the most eye opening as I had not realized the full implications of this topic. If you only have an hour to spend on the book, read this chapter. It is the most practical treatment of this subject I have seen in other books for non-lawyers like myself. This gave me the required knowledge and confidence I need before approaching a professional lawyer for help if necessary (I have been fortunate enough not to have encountered employees that needed to be fired).

Chapter 5 addresses discrimination at the workplace and is aptly titled 'Discrimination: The Biggest Wrong of All'. I think this chapter may be a little light considering the breadth of the topic but it does a decent job of addressing the basics. You may want to get a book focused on just this topic if you need more information. Without a doubt, this is one topic where I would seek a professional lawyer's help.

The rest of the book goes over the topics of the firing event itself (how and where to do it, etc.), cutting back or closing down, severance, and how to hire a lawyer (found in many other Nolo books but this one is specific to the topic of firing and employment law).

Overall, a nifty little book that I found helpful and it definitely boosted my confidence and even my management skills. I am now less nervous when I think of firing someone. Bottom line, read Chapter 4 and definitely get the other book by Nolo on the bigger picture 'Dealing With Problem Employees' by Amy DelPo and Lisa Guerin.