MANAGER'S TOOLKIT : PROBLEM SOLUTION #1 - FIRING EMPLOYEES
The biggest problem most managers have is the one that
comes last, firing employees. This is not a pleasant
subject and we have included two pages on it simply because
it is such a problem for managers. Over the years of
experience, we have learned some do's and don'ts that
should make firing less painful for all involved.
How to fire someone
1. Give the employee a written job description. If
a person does not know that it was her job to balance the
books at the end of each month, you cannot very easily fire
her for not doing it. Having a written job description is
something you should do anyway. In the case of a decision
to fire someone, you need to be able to show the person was
not doing her job, and that is going to cause much less
argument if you have a written statement of what that job
is.
2. Give the employee a written policy and procedures
manual. If you are a small company and don't have a
complete manual, at the very least, you should have a memo
documenting job expectations and reasons for termination.
The most common problem in Indian country is poor
attendance. You must have a written attendance policy. It
doesn't have to be long or complicated, but it should make
your expectations clear and the consequences of not meeting
those expectations should be clear as well. For a sample of an attendance policy, click
here.
3. Discuss performance problems early, as soon as they
occur. The most common problem managers make is
ignoring problems hoping they will go away. If an employee
misses work once, the manager may not mention it, hoping it
won't happen again. While we understand the desire to avoid
conflict and give the employee the benefit of the doubt,
ignoring a problem only sets you up for greater problems in
the future. If you don't mention the employees failure to
come to work this time, what reason can you give when you
bring it up the next time she misses work and the employee
says, "Why is it a problem now when you never said anything
about it before?"
4. Document everything you do. Even though your
first meeting with an employee may be a verbal warning,
note somewhere - on your calendar, on your computer, in
your day planner or wherever you keep important information
- the date and subject of the discussion, e.g., "Gave Donna
verbal warning about missing work yesterday." For a sample of a letter to an employee
regarding attendance problems, click here.
Go to next page, more on how to fire an
employee.