The curse of decision fatigue

February 25, 2025 | 12:00am

When is the best time to dismiss an erring employee – morning or afternoon? That’s assuming you’ve already exhausted all possible means to reform a person in the past and that they’re accorded due process. Choosing the best time is imperative so that we can minimize its adverse effects on the employee and the whole organization.

The keyword in the preceding statement is “adverse.” That gives you a clue. The answer is in the afternoon, specifically during the last hour before closing. The process includes the personal service of the dismissal notice by the concerned line manager with the help of human resources (HR).

The HR representative should be a witness in case the dismissed worker refuses to acknowledge receipt of the notice. In addition, the security office must be alerted to any untoward incident. The process includes the return of all documents, keys, passwords, identification cards, laptop computers, mobile phones or whatever company property was entrusted to them.

To some management people, the timing could be a non-issue. If you’ve done a legal process, why prolong the agony? No, we’re not. But we’re simply minimizing all possible adverse consequences. I knew it from experience. I’ve already dismissed at least 100 workers in the past, and out of that, there could be around five percent who would not take it sitting down, including one who threatened me with a hand grenade.

Therefore, don’t be surprised if some errant workers would turn emotional, if not become violent in some cases. That’s what we’re trying to avoid. The last hour of the day is best when everyone has already clocked out.

Decision fatigue

But what if the erring worker decides to negotiate? “I will resign now so there will be no adverse record in my file.” That’s a management judgment call. If you ask me, however, the resignation offer has become too late after everyone has undergone an emotional, time-consuming procedure to protect the rights of both the workers and the employer.

More importantly, management must seriously consider that the dismissed employee may be trying to test its patience. “You mean, we’ll do another round of decision-making? What the heck! That’s too tiring for us. After all that we’ve done to allow you to explain yourself, you’re telling us to make another decision?”

Making another decision on the same issue would mean another exhausting process for management. Anyone from management who has strictly followed the letter and spirit of the law to ensure that due process is accorded to employees can tell you that it’s not easy. In psychology, this is called decision fatigue.

“Research shows that making decisions takes energy, a phenomenon called decision fatigue,” according to Mary Allen in Psychology Today (2022). That’s because decision-making takes a lot of “energy, worrying, second-guessing, feeling guilty and other mental activities.” That’s the same reason why line managers would rather assign the dirty job to HR. But that’s wrong under the principle that whoever has the right to hire, has the same equal right to fire.

“Thinking is difficult. That’s why most people judge,” according to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875-1961).

To avoid spending too much time on the judgment process, notable personalities like Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs wore the same clothes every day because it removes, if not minimizes their decision fatigue. That means they have dozens of them in their wardrobe. Otherwise, they’ll stink to death.

This allowed Zuckerberg and Jobs to focus their intellectual power on important tasks resulting in their increased capacity to do creative problem-solving and decision-making. Wearing the same type of clothes also contributes to their public image and brand identity as focused and decisive leaders with practicality, simplicity and convenience as added features.

Interestingly, one common denominator between the two is blue jeans for their pants. In addition, Zuckerberg prefers gray t-shirts costing between $300 and $500 apiece and custom-made by cashmere king Brunello Cucinelli. Such a shirt is not available for sale to the public.

On the other hand, Jobs favored the iconic black turtleneck designed by Japanese-French Issey Miyake (1938-2022).

Membership shopping

Decision fatigue is a dangerous thing for impulse buyers and those who are enamored by the advertising of everyday groceries. For example, the case of S&R Membership Shopping. What makes us attracted to S&R?

For my family, we’re almost addicted to its New York-style pizza and roasted chicken that are priced lower than other similar products found elsewhere. But the tastes are so extraordinary. Also, the store’s layout plays an important role. S&R’s restaurant is located near the exit (at least in its Sucat branch, near my residence) where one is tempted to recharge, either before or after spending time shopping inside the grocery area.

More than that, S&R offers a sizable discount when you buy fuel from Unioil. With those amenities, it has become easy for consumers to minimize decision fatigue. We don’t have to copy Zuckerberg and Jobs in wearing the same kind of clothes every day. When you’re in management, there’s one easy, practical answer, but an old-fashioned way against decision fatigue.

Delegate, if not empower line managers to do the problem-solving and decision-making for you, at least up to a certain authority and extent.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity improvement enthusiast. Share your story with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email [email protected] or via https://reyelbo.com

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