Biden: Cracking down on disrespect

I was surprised to hear Joe Biden making the following comments during the swearing in of his new staff:
I'm not joking when I say this: If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot On the spot. No if, ands, or buts...And it's not hyperbole. The only thing I expect with absolute certitude is honesty and decency.
Let's leave aside the irony that Biden himself has repeatedly insulted people while campaigning and has a history of dishonesty. The thing that strikes me about this is that it is illegal. You cannot fire someone on the spot like that. It is possible that, because we're dealing with political staff, Biden is exempt from the usual federal rules regarding employment, but still. It might sound nice to promise to fire people who "talk down" to other people, but that's a pretty vague standard. Even if the case is obvious, it is still hardly a good idea to fire an employee -- who might otherwise be ideal -- based on a single incident. I was surprised that no one in the news seemed to comment on this, but I did find one article that draws attention to the down side of such a peremptory policy:
When I first hear that, I thought, "Hallelujah! That is precisely what we need--someone to take a hardline on proper behavior." And then I put my HR hat on and said, "But that's terrible policy."
It pretty much says everything that I think, so go have a look at it and see if you agree.

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