Making the Decision
WHEN DO YOU DECIDE that it’s time to dismiss an employee? In some cases, you may be justified in dismissing a worker immediately—for example, if he or she steals from the company or abuses company confidentiality. However, in cases of poor work performance or behavior problems that stop short of being illegal, experts suggest using a dismissal as a last resort. The following guidelines can help you make the right decision.
Proceeding with caution
It’s best to proceed with caution when you’re considering dismissing an employee. That’s because replacing dismissed employees can get expensive, after you’ve totaled up advertising, recruiting, screening, and hiring costs. Indeed, some analysts say that replacing a dismissed employee can end up costing roughly twice the salary that the position pays.
Dismissals can also create unease and resentment among remaining team members who question the rationale behind the decision or who consider the dismissed employee their friend. In addition, they can carry the risk of legal action from the affected employee. Even if the company handled the dismissal in a perfectly legal manner, responding to a lawsuit can sap a company’s energy and financial resources.
Exploring alternatives to dismissals
In light of the risks and costs involved in dismissing an employee, it’s worth exploring alternatives to dismissals if they apply. Alternatives include:
- Training designed to strengthen the employee’s skills
- Counseling or coaching to clarify performance or behavior expectations and pinpoint areas for improvement
- Reassigning the employee to a position that provides a better match between his or her talents and the company’s or department’s needs
- Warnings that increase in severity and that get documented in the employee’s personnel file
- Putting the employee on probation; that is, temporarily suspending some workplace benefits (such as flextime or the opportunity to work from home) until the employee improves his or her performance or behavior
- Suspending the employee, giving him or her time off (paid or unpaid) to formulate a revised work plan or set new goals
- Postponing a pay raise until the employee shows improvement
- Demoting the employee to a position with fewer responsibilities and less pay
Selecting alternatives
To select from among these alternatives, decide whether the employee’s problem stems primarily from inadequate performance or inappropriate behavior.
Inadequate performance includes problems such as missed production targets, consistently botched client presentations, and so forth. In this case, you’d be more likely to try alternatives such as training or reassignment.
Inappropriate behavior may take the form of destructive gossiping, chronic blaming of others, a negative or listless demeanor, inappropriate humor, or chronic lateness and constantly missed deadlines. In this case, you’d be more likely to try alternatives such as counseling or coaching (see the table “Coaching problem employees”).
In considering inappropriate behavior, focus on conduct that is clearly disruptive to team goals and productivity (not merely annoying to a few of the employee’s colleagues) or has a demonstrable impact on other employees.
| DISMISSING AN EMPLOYEE | |
|---|---|
| Coaching problem employees | |
| Problematic behavior doesn’t automatically have to lead to a dismissal of an employee. Try coaching first with these problem-employee “breeds.” | |
| Breed | Coaching strategy |
| Gossipmongers | Warn the person that gossip and inflammatory rumors can hurt the whole organization. Work to redirect a gossipmon ger’s energy in more positive ways. If necessary, consider relo cating this individual so you can monitor his or her productivity more easily. |
| Blamers | Point out that chronic blaming of others for things that go wrong hurts the team and the company. Consider shuffling workloads around to better balance the tasks at hand. Watch to see whether your changes solve the problem. If not, take steps toward a performance improvement plan or employ ment termination. |
| Downers | Tell the person that a constant negative attitude can be highly damaging to a team’s enthusiasm and commitment. Show concern that the person isn’t happy on the job. Listen to and deal with specific complaints. Solicit suggestions for improv ing the way your team works. |
| Know-it-alls | Explain that employees who constantly brag about their supe rior abilities can wear down a team’s spirit. Acknowledge the person’s positive attributes or skills while also encouraging him or her to respect and value other employees’ capabilities. |
| Slackers | Point out that low productivity due to repeated absences or tardiness, frequent disorganization, or inability to set priori ties frustrates other team members and makes them become angry and resentful. If poor performance stems from personal problems, consider adjusting the person’s work schedule to ease the burden. If it’s due to pure laziness, take steps toward a performance improvement plan or employment termination. |
| Jokesters | Tell the person that racist, homophobic, sexist, or offensive comments are unacceptable in the workplace and that em ployees who persist in making these comments or jokes risk harassment complaints. |