These days there's a whole lot of firing going on. Lisa Belkin in the article linked below examines some of the wrong and right ways to carry out this unpleasant but sometime necessary task

Some examples: Using a bulk Internet mailing can make it as easy to eliminate un-needed workers as hitting the delete button on your keyboard; announcing the firing first to the media can help avoid the unnecessary tensions of a face-to-face exit interview; have security escort the fired employe out of the office in front of his or her more fortunate compatriots; and blaming the dismissal(s) on George Bush's economic blunders can ease the pain (yours, that is).