Let’s give the ‘fired’ label a rest

These numbers are just as bad – and often worse – for those at the top. Recruiters tell us that an estimated 40% to 60% of senior executives are forced to resign, in part because of today’s record-high CEO turnover. Regardless of job title or income, the same label is applied (and self-applied) to people who lose their jobs: You’ve been “fired.”

Words matter. And the word “fired” means mistake – your mistake. While some employees are let go due to performance or behavior, millions of others are caught up in restructurings, downsizing, and strategic shifts spurred by investor and market pressures. This includes corporate America, whether you’re in the shop, in middle management, or in the C-suite. No one is immune.

We live in a volatile economy of routine mass layoffs and restructurings that have not plagued generations of workers who retired before the 1980s. Together, Leanne’s parents spent more than 40 years at Boeing; Nina’s father spent 30 years at Hughes Aircraft. Our parents’ generation could count on stability, security, and predictability – and deep corporate loyalty that goes both ways. One study found that 58% of Fortune 100 companies announced layoffs in 2023, while only 5% did so in 1979.

At the time, “firing” was shorthand for getting unproductive, unsuitable, or unethical workers out the door—preferably before they stole the stapler. There are still a lot of employees who are given a fair and square pink slip. Performance and integrity issues? That’s on them. We should not be shy about holding employees accountable. But in today’s turbulent economy, the vast majority of displaced workers are not being fired because of personal failure.

More than ever, people’s professional lives are fragile, unpredictable, and subject to pressures beyond their control. The personal toll of job losses is enormous. We have been fortunate to work with some of the most talented and visionary business leaders in the region. Even among these high achievers, job loss shakes confidence and self-esteem, threatening to erase years of well-earned influence and success.

“Executives know that exit isn’t really about them,” says executive coach Nicole Deida. “They have the performance, the reviews, the credibility. However, the word ‘fired’ takes a toll. It undermines confidence, especially for women, and makes them feel ‘less than’ even when they know better.”

This devastating psychological weight of insecurity and self-blame is seeping into our society and politics, as opinion polls show a stubborn and long-term trend of declining belief in a better future. No wonder 81% of workers in 2025 fear losing their jobs.

With the unsettling feeling that control has slipped, there is a tendency for even the most talented and accomplished employees to define themselves as “fired” – even when the reason for their firing is a market slowdown. Making fun of oneself for letting go may build connection, but it also undermines trust, credibility, and belief in a better future.

These economic forces will not change, especially as artificial intelligence brings with it uncertainty and job disruption. This is all the more reason why we need to reframe the narrative around job losses. If nearly half of the workforce has seen their job laid off, shouldn’t we give the word “fired” a break?

Let’s be more thoughtful — and understanding — in the way we treat our colleagues (and ourselves) when describing leaving the workplace. Let’s replace the word “fired” with something like: “released for what comes next.” Let’s make the increasingly repetitive act of action less dramatic, and much more human.

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