Question
He's a great guy but isn't at the senior engineering level he was hired for. Other engineers have to rewrite his code, he takes 5x as long to get things done and it's just hard on all of us so I need to let him go, but he's off this weekend for a week going away for a wedding.
Is it better to "pull the bandaid" and get it done before he goes or wait until he comes back? He's in an at-will state so all legal/HR issues have been covered.
Answer
Do it now. I had to fire someone two days before Christmas and while it is very difficult it has to be done. Treat the person with dignity and respect, focus on the facts and if at all possible they have vacation or something coming that will ease the burden.