The Evil family just got back from a fabulous Canadian vacation. We spent most of our time in Ottawa, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria making Ottawa the capital of Canada. (It was an utterly fantastic city, by the way. I highly recommend it.)
We took many tours, including the East Block Tour. The offices of several of Canada’s early leaders have been preserved, along with the Privy Council Room.
Outside this room is a coat and hat rack. (This is Canada, of course. It does get a bit chilly in the winter.) According to our guide George-Étienne Cartier, Minister of Militia and Defense used to be the last to arrive at these Cabinet meetings. He enjoyed rearranging coats on the coat rack. If you were being promoted, you would come out of the meeting to find your coat moved to the right. If you were being demoted, it would be moved to the left. If, perchance, you came out and found your hat and coat in a pile on the floor? Well, it’s been nice knowing you.
I think several people would prefer to conduct terminations in this same non-confrontational way.