03E21 - The Executive's Executioner

Norm's boss, Mr. Hecht, comes into the bar looking for Norm. Norm's afraid that Hecht has come to fire him for slacking off. Hecht does indeed want to talk to Norm about being fired, but it's not quite what Norm thinks. Hecht wants him to the "corporate killer" i.e. the person who notifies employees that they're being fired. He states that the company wants to find someone as non-threatening as possible to do the job, as studies have shown that people having just been fired feel more humiliated when done by someone in power. Norm has nothing in his life that anyone could envy or resent, thus he's the perfect person. This job change is not a request from Hecht, but a directive, albeit one with a 300% salary increase. After doing his first firing with much difficulty which results in Norm in tears, Norm thinks that he isn't well suited to the job. A company henchman, who witnessed the firing incognito, disagrees, he who tells Norm that the way he did the firing was brilliant: the victim felt like he was fired by a caring, sensitive organization. Firing after firing, this job ends up being an emotional strain on Norm, who knows his tenure in the position will soon be over when something doesn't happen anymore when he tries to fire someone. In telephoning the company to tell him that he is quitting, Norm thinks he has a way to exit the job with a little revenge.