I'm sad that this seems like such a novel idea. The only time a "firing" should come as a surprise to an employee is when they are being laid off as part of a

I'm sad that this seems like such a novel idea. The only time a "firing" should come as a surprise to an employee is when they are being laid off as part of a restructuring (this is unfortunately the only practical way to do it). Any time an employee is not meeting performance expectations, their manager should be communicating the gap to them early and often. At some point, these discussions should be getting more and more explicit to make it clear that their continued employment is at risk. Some people will change their behavior and make a turn-around. Some will see the writing on the wall and leave of their own accord (usually those with more maturity/perspective, and those who have other options). Some people will hang on to the last and leave fingernail marks on the door frame -- but they should never be able to say that it was a surprise.