There are times when firing an employee is the right thing to do. It may sound harsh, and yes it is, but sometimes it’s truly the best option in a given circumstance. Sure, you want to do whatever you can to rectify negative situations, but there are times, when that just doesn’t work. Here are three reasons why firing an employee may very well be the right move.
- The employee is negative and is creating a toxic atmosphere for other employees. Sadly, we all probably have worked with people like this. Nothing at the company is ever good enough. They bad mouth the management; they may even bad mouth their coworkers behind their backs. They are disrespectful and the list can go on and on as far as negativity. Of course you want to try to remedy the situation first and talk to the employee. It could be that the employee changes his behavior. But what happens if the negativity continues? If things don’t change you have to consider the impact this person is having on the group, and the morale at your company. It may very well be time to part ways.
- The employee that just isn’t capable of handling the work. Here is a situation where your employee may really be trying. You want to give this person every possible opportunity, and training to improve skills. But if you’ve done all you can, and this person is making mistakes that are causing other employee issues, and costing your company customers or money, you may very well have to let that person go.
- Any type of violence. This probably goes without saying, but any type of violence in the workplace should not be tolerated, and that person should not be working at your company.
When dealing with a “problem” employee, and the possibility of firing, you want to always make sure to document, document, document, and document some more! Communicate with your firm’s legal counsel to make sure that you have all of your bases covered, because when you fire an employee you always face the possibility of that employee taking legal action. You want to make sure that all along the way, when verbal warnings are given, written warning are given, etc. that everything is put in that person’s file, so if and when the time comes and you need to defend your decision, you are able to.
For more advice on managing your employees be sure to check our Blog’s Management section.
