How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

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  kshitiz.vyas@...03/27/07 Report as spam
  1

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  The article was very informatiive.
  
  I am software eng. in India. Please advice if someone get fire though he is in impression that he will get promoted or will be in good condition. What way he should be overcome with certain situation?
  
  Thanks
  A Reader

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  JimBJimB03/27/07 Report as spam
  2

  Its the best thing

  Sometimes one of the best things you can say to an employee, is 'This could be the best thing that happened to you', that just because things didn't work out here doesn't necessarily mean they are a failure. They may find an opportunity better suited to their talents, etc. I've used this several times with success.

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  Iivana04/10/07 Report as spam
  3

  What 'works' for downsizing?

  Sounds great, thank you for sharing.
  But it cannot be used when there is major downsizing, which is really a problem.
  I wonder how would all these recommendations work if a company was to fire hundres of employees.
  Any tips?

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  Biz8407/31/07 Report as spam
  4

  Wide Spread Layoffs

  Layoffs that effect many people can be easier to deal
  with than firing for cause. It is not personal, there
  are others going through the same thing they are. Concentrate
  on the reasons behind the layoff but the principals are the same. Have a game plan, be concise to the point and execute the plan.
  It is also easier to be empathetic and offer help in the layoff
  scenario. I have fired for cause and done organization wide
  layoff as the head of a company. The process outlined in this
  article was used almost to the letter in several situations and worked effectively. It is never easy and you always lose sleep both before and after but following a good process will get you through it. The bottom line is if you don't develop competence in this area you will limit your effectiveness and progress as a manager.

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  sptrob03/27/07 Report as spam
  5

  Now we know

  Thanks for the guidance - now I can work with my lawyer to set up an argument for planned constructive dismissal.

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  ollyl@...03/27/07 Reported as spam
  6

  How to fire

  A good article. Well thought through. One strategy I often use when I have to let someone go is to ask them to imagine they are the employer and present them with the facts regarding their performance.
  
  I then have them tell me whether the situation is tenable and, if not, what would they do about. I then listen intently. I then offer them the opportunity to resign as I don't want them to have a sacking on their resume'.
  
  If they ask what the alternative is I look squarely at then and say, "I'll have to terminate you." I then say nothing untill they speak. Usually they will opt for resignation.
  
  Ollie Lind

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  kkinnee03/28/07 Report as spam
  7

  Good pointers on a tough subject

  Not easy for most people, necessary though, good baseline for developing personal approach

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  pashadd03/28/07 Reported as spam
  8

  Very poor article

  Very poor article.

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  Terence_Martin@...04/02/07 Report as spam
  9

  Care to say why you think so?

  It would be helpful if you would elaborate a bit on your comment and offer some reasons for your conculsions.

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  ElizabethSchroll04/26/07 Report as spam
  10

  Why?

  Please elaborate. what makes it poor, wrong info, incomplete info?

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  viruser05/13/07 Report as spam
  11

  Same question here!!!

  Why do you believe it's a poor article?

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  four-eyes_z03/13/08 Report as spam
  12

  Kindly state your reasons please...

  We all want to know why you think this article was very poor.
  
  I personally think it was very enlightening and informative.

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  vincent_at_leyson@...03/28/07 Report as spam
  13

  firing people and still looking forward to it...

  Simple, interesting and helpful for managers... is this really the diplomatic way of firing (just thinking aloud)...

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  apolloworld69@...03/29/07 Report as spam
  14

  Rip it off like a bandaid

  I can't think of a better way to describe it. Once you make the decision, you have to do it quick, like ripping a bandaid off. It less painful than pulling it off slowly.
  
  Also, you have to be direct and clear with the communication...the least said the better.

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  Kennywang04/17/07 Report as spam
  15

  Good. But culture matters a lot in this issue too

  Good. But culture matters a lot in this issue too

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  beahmer00204/18/07 Report as spam
  16

  Terminations

  Aside from the workforce reduction, much of the leaders difficulty in delivering the termination may arise from the day to day conflict avoidance that can make the termination that much more difficult. Through this avoidance leaders may question themselves as to ?did they do enough?? Which may leave them sharing some of the guilt (possibly justified). If the termination comes as a surprise to the individual then somewhere there may have been room to provide better leadership. Day to day honest feedback coupled with clear direction and expectations actually help manage the talent pool. As a leader your people are assessing your ability to lead 24/7 and then their desire to follow. How many times have you been thanked for terminating someone? You should never hear ?it?s about time!? I have had to deliver my share of terminations for many different reasons but, I always start them out the same?. Leaders have good days and bad, today is one of my worst?.I?ve got to let you go and here?s the reason(s)??

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  Gyorgy Kenez04/19/07 Reported as spam
  17

  Message has been deleted.

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  Gyorgy Kenez04/19/07 Report as spam
  18

  Great article!

  In theory, everything is known, but when the problem comes, then you need to remember every step well, to letting the employee go correctly. This article brougth together all aspects of this problem. Good to save it for the next problematic case.
  
  Thanks for it...

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  auctionid2000@...04/26/07 Report as spam
  19

  Informative article

  Thanks for the pointers. They will come handy.
  I found that collecting history before firing is the toughest part compared to the 15 minute of doing the deed.

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  elinv04/27/07 Report as spam
  20

  Step 1 is the most important

  A nice refresher for managers on the process. Everyone should know that Step 1 is the most important but if you do determine it has to be done, then the sooner after you make the decision the better. Put a plan in place and after reviewing all the facts one more time, do what has to be done. It's the best thing for all concerned. Employees who are in the wrong job aren't being done any favors if they aren't told the truth as soon as possible. If a manager gives an employee facts about what needs to be changed and a fair chance to make those changes, if possible, then the next step has to be to end the employment relationship. If we've made a bad hire and the employee just can't perform as required, we will allow the person to resign and sometimes we may even offer pay in lieu of notice.

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  rowan.mountford@...05/02/07 Report as spam
  21

  How to sack the women?!

  While this article contained some common sense with do's and don'ts, I would question why people would need it. If you don't know how to deal with people you probably shouldn't be in management.
  
  One glaring fault in the article that hasn't been mentioned yet (as far as I can see) is that it is more likely to be a man being fired than a woman, due simply to the ratio of male:female workers so I think the wording in step 2 may be seen as offensive to some.
  
  I quote: Don't forget continuity planning, and anticipate what you'll need to do to replace the employee or handle her work flow once she's gone.

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  rmc371104/03/08 Report as spam
  22

  Why the need for the article

  The need for this article arises from some non-sophisticated industries. The unfortunate reality is many managers are not taught how to "let some one go" or proper performance counseling techniques this only comes with experience and learning from qualified industry mentors. For instance lets take the fast food supervisor making $10.00 per hour and he has to fire the fry cook for being late for the 30th time, this is reality. Lets also keep in mind the small business owner that is wearing every hat in the organization these topics are the white elephants in society and are not often discussed. We usually squirm a bit and hand them over to HR then continue to talk about the weather.
  
  This is good "stuff" and I hope the white elephants are kicked around somemore!

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  alfinoa05/23/07 Report as spam
  23

  How would you fire an employee who is part of a union?

  What if the employee is a union employee?

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  jchooyin@...05/25/07 Report as spam
  24

  The same way only with a steward

  Firing a union employee would essentially follow the same principles with the exception that the employees' union steward would have to be present at all of the performance appraisals - the steward insures that the appraisals and goals set are in writing that the issues are not discriminatory or fabricated and that the employer is doing their best to help the employee succeed. In the end if the employee fails to meet the contract agreement and steps have been taken to try to assist the employee dismissal is an option available to the employer.

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  sfoRealityBytes06/11/07 Report as spam
  25

  Good article - too bad it's never followed in the real world

  In theory this is a great article. It shows that a manager can show compassion and do the right thing if there is a cancer in an organization that needs to be removed.
  
  However, an important topic which was not discussed is what do you do when you think you go through your due dilligence and you discover that the person you terminate is actually the wrong person or even how you can place her in a position so she can succeed.
  
  Many times organizations terminate people when they don't know what to do due to things like personality conflicts. If you see any of the following situations, you may want to see what is really going on in the company because you may be terminating the wrong person:
  
  1) If you one one hand try to claim that you have a 'flat organization' where everyone needs to work together and yet you decide to have one person with a 'higher' job title be prepared to see strife. I was in a company recently where two people who did not deserve the title of "Director" were either given it or assumed that they had it. While in theory everyone in this department were supposed to be peers, there was a perception that these "Directors" were superior to everyone else, even though they did less work and caused more headaches than the other "lower level" people.
  
  Because of this, if you must have different levels, make sure most importantly that the "senior" level employees actually deserve that higher title - not because you hired them first or they demanded that higher title.
  
  2) If you hire a full time person to do a job, don't think you are doing this person a favor by hiring a consultant at the same time to help her out. In many cases, while you think you may be doing the full time person a favor, by hiring someone at the same time you are sending a clear message that you don't believe that the employee can do the job effectively even before the person walks in the door. Conversely, the consultant will often see this as an opportunity to muddy the waters and make work harder than it has to be for the full time person. In short, if you really think you want to do this, make sure that the full time person has a say in who this consultant is and give the employee FULL support. If at any time you show any sort of favoritism to the consultant, you risk showing favoritism and that is not acceptable in any organization. If that happens, terminate the consultant IMMEDIATELY and give the full time time to prove herself. If you fail to do this, then you will show signs that you can't manage effectively.
  
  3) If you hire a person for a job, give the person the tools, support (and recognition) and resources to do the job. This means if you hire the person to head up a large effort, it is YOUR job as the manager to ensure that the world supports this person and her efforts. If you can't provide this support, then you need to determine if you really needed this person to begin with. Don't hire a FULL TIME person and then after a few months let them go because you didn't do your homework. It shows incompetence on your part.
  
  4) If you do see personality conflicts, see where the personality conflicts stem from. Usually it comes from an employee who is a known troublemaker and another who may be newer or is not familiar with the environment. You may think you are doing yourself a favor by defending the troublemaker and backing him up - but all you are doing is backing a bully who will eventually come and stab you in the back. If this happens, you need to see what is going on - sometimes the 'troublemaker' may seem to have a valid point, but look deeper. Usually you will see that this troublemaker is an empire builder and will hurt you. In cases like this, think about the troublemaker like a bully in school. If you take the bully out of the picture, usually you will have a much more harmonious environment.
  
  5) If all else fails and you have an employee who does not fit your organization for whatever reason, first check and see if this person can work with another organization in your company. Many times if you can't handle this person, other organizations can take this pariah and turn him into a valuable corporate citizen.
  
  6) There is no harm in admitting you are wrong. If you let go of someone because of any of the issues above, you can always go back to the person you let go and try to help them out. In some cases, by re-hiring the person you terminated and getting rid of the real problem can actually show maturity and wisdom beyond one's years. Just don't be surprised if the person you let go is skeptical and rejects you -- it'ts often hard to accept such concepts with open arms when you burnt them.
  
  Hope this helps someone out there... because I have seen these incidents happen more often than not (from the hiring manager and employee perspective) and wished that someone did these for me.

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  doll61708/01/07 Report as spam
  26

  Re: How to Fire

  Great article with one exception. I prefer to be direct but NOT use words like "fired."
  I recommend phrases like "end your employment", "discontinue your employment" etc.

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  jejamese@...08/06/07 Report as spam
  27

  How to fie the employee

  We recently had to do this and with the help of our HR staff, pretty much followed the above guidance exactly.
  
  I think it's important to recognize the point at which you are sure the employee will not work out, such as:
  although, they've received warnings, their behavior doesn't change;
  they start to avoid managers and supervisors and when asked about progress, tell you what you want to hear;
  a disproportionate amount of time is spent on this employee at the expense of good performers.
  
  As noted in the article, termination is necessary to preserve the respect and morale of the other team members.

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  mikegd73208/11/07 Report as spam
  28

  Question

  This article gives much clearity, except in my circumstances are a little more odd and strange.
  
  I was recently fired over the phone. I was a model employee (salaried employee may I add) who respected everyone at all times. I was terminated as stated earlier via telephone because my boss thought her job was in danger due to me being salaried and taking on another job.
  
  All employees in the previous company were given the common decency to be given an exit or firing interview, which stated the reason why? I was not! I was just told never to come back. I was provided many leads for this company, promoted them everywhere I went. Loved by all, fellow managers, supervisors, sales department, department heads, owner and fellow employees. I was terminated without any dignity or respect.
  
  I could see if I was a thief- I was not, I can see if I was rebellious- I was not! I can see if I was a difficult person to work with, but I was not! I have terminated many people in my life, but did it in a manner that everyone remains friends with me 'til this day!
  
  What are my rights as a previous manager being terminated over the phone?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Mike

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  smokinsteve09/06/07 Report as spam
  29

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  That's right; blame the employees for the company's problems. As far as I'm concerned, the question that really needs to be answered is "How do you fire the boss who's holding you back?"

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  dafle109/09/07 Report as spam
  30

  How to do you fire another partner?

  My business partner and I started this business about 2 years ago, and along the way we needed a good programmer, but we did not have money to hire one, so we decided to offer a share of the company to this programmer, but right he is destroying our company by consistently late with project, does not do what he has been told, and always ready to go in defensive mode even for the simplest question.
  What should we do?

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  ankit_khamkar10/02/07 Report as spam
  31

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  Really Good One especially for HR Employees
  
  Regards
  Ank

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  yasasvi110/26/07 Report as spam
  32

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  very informative

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  habimanajose@...03/11/08 Report as spam
  33

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  clear and comprehensive article. But still question remains:Why firing someone without giving him even the time for handover?
  
  If it is a case of miscnduct or strong behaviour of indiscipline, yes but not in any case.
  
  your comments on this question please.

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  rmc371103/17/08 Report as spam
  34

  If the employee doesn't know... fire the manager

  If the employee does not see it coming you have already failed. The employee should have had ample time and systems to improve behaviors and performance. The statement " you no longer are employed with this company" should not be a surprise. If it is then you had better revamp your systems and training ASAP. If you have a PTO (Planned Turn Over)list then you had better CYA very well. PTO's are very common in restaurants and retail operations. I guess we could go on for while about this topic but if done correctly the employee will have recognized the problems and he/she is not the right fit for the position. Just reality
  
  Have a great day
  the food and beverage blog
  for more on PTO please visit fnblog.net

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  Konini09/03/08 Report as spam
  35

  RE: How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back

  Is this legal?
  
  I think you may have opened yourself to a case of constructive dismissal by prejudging the outcome of a fair hearing.
  
  1. Design all systems around the career path of employees and you won't get into this difficulty in the first place. The ee will be 'firing' you because they need resources and opportunities you can't supply.
  
  2. If you come to this conclusion, 'make an accusation' clearly and in open and make sure it is heard and adjudicated by a neutral party. Having a check ready is the worse thing you can do. It is prima facie evidence of prejudging the hearing.
  
  3. Remember showing lack of faith in people reflects on you. Unless this is a 1/1000 case, you are the problem. Get help!