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Terminating an employee tips.

November 22, 2011

Employee Insubordination - o Does the punishment (the firing) fit the

Our problem employee said after we fired him "what took you so long". He's right. Here's what we should have done.

o Does the punishment (the firing) fit the crime? These procedures include recording any problems that may have taken place with the jobholder. Whatever the case, this worker can lower company esprit de corps and hurt relations with customers and suppliers. The employee will, of course, claim the "real" reason for her separation was because she took workers' comp, and she'll get a legal counselor to sue you. Today you risk lawsuits for dismissing an employee the wrong way. When you need to layoff or RIF (reduction in force) several workforce at one time, the processes are different from those of a single firing. When separating for wrongful reasons (which does sometimes occur), you don't want any evidence. The firing will feel less personal to those employees losing their jobs, and it right away gives security to those who remain. Since sacking a jobholder requires following several key steps, your terminating personnel manual should thoroughly cover each one. When dismissing for improper reasons (which does at times occur), you don't want any evidence.

You can handle most worker productivity problems by giving a verbal notice. Certainly, expect to settle with the jobholder and her legal defender, but this will mostly be cheaper and less disruptive to the organization than leaving her job open indefinitely. These comments are not as believable as observable on-the-job behavior, and an attorney will use these against you in court. Thank you for your time at our firm and best of luck to you in the future. Therefore, telling the bad individual how you feel is a one-way ticket to career failure.

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Our problem employee said after we fired him "what took you so long". He's right. Here's what we should have done.