Signs That It Might Be Time To Fire An Employee!
Letting an employee go is a tough decision. When it comes to firing them, it just gets harder. But at times it can be a critical step in growing your business or at times, there can just be no other way to deal with an erring employee.
Studies show that even having just one team member who is swaying against the tide can reduce the productivity of a high performing group by 30 to 40%.
In addition, allowing problematic behaviour to continue causes stress, reduces creativity and impacts your credibility as a leader.
But how do you know when is the right time to fire an employee? Here are some telltale signs that indicate its time to give them the memo!
You Might Need To Fire An Employee If You Observe These Signs!
If you see any of these happening in the workplace, it might be time to take some tough calls!
1. Frequent Conflicts
If an employee frequently indulges in arguments with peers or management, chances are that he is no longer satisfied with the job or has personal problems, that is affecting his work attitude.
It is up to the manager to take a call and fire an employee when conflicts surround him all the time, even after sufficient efforts are made to solve issues.
2. Performance Issues
If an employee’s performance has noticeably declined and he is lagging behind, it may be a matter of concern.
Make efforts to find out the reasons behind the same and offer proper training and coaching, if required. However, if the situation still persists after a reasonable amount of time is given to cope up, it might be time to let the employee go to protect the bottom line.
3. Negative Attitude
When you notice an employee constantly complaining about everything to everyone, you know you have a toxic team member onboard. They not only create a negative atmosphere but also poison the attitudes of the rest of your team.
They will incessantly speak about the bad things happening and focus on them for days on end.
Talk to such an employee and discuss his behaviour and the need to lighten up and become a more positive influence on the office. You know it’s time to tell him to pack his bags and keep going if he still does not get back in line!
4. Customers Are Complaining
While the ill effects of a toxic employee can be observed within the office, it is very difficult to measure the impact he may be having outside the company as well.
Pay attention to what your customers and vendors are saying. Consistent bad feedback against an employee requires immediate attention.
Customers who have a bad experience will tell between 9 to 15 people about the experience, and 86% of the customers will stop doing business with a company altogether due to a bad experience.
You cannot afford to let a bad employee tarnish your brand image and that’s probably why it’s time to let them go.
5. Carelessness With Work
When an employee shows up at work every day with a careless attitude, something is going terribly wrong. He may be completely disengaged from work and office and probably looking for other places to work at.
Whatever the reason, it brings down the morale the rest of the team too. Get in a direct conversation with such an employee and try to understand their side of the story.
If you cannot reach a suitable solution to the above problem, let the employee know how having him in a job he does not love will not only affect his career but also affect the rest of the team.
6. Unwilling To Adapt To Changes
The business landscape is constantly changing especially as new technology develops and more efficient processes are discovered.
While it may get difficult for an employee to adapt to changes, a complete unwillingness to make adjustments or a poor attitude about every change that’s introduced can be warning signs that an employee isn’t going to fit in your company culture well anymore.
7. Misconduct
When matters frequently get passed on to the HR department, it’s time to have a look at the employee behaviour. Issues like sexual harassment, inappropriate jokes, relationships forbidden by the handbook, or something similar keep getting associated with him.
You can let an employee off the hook by giving only so many last chances, which should ultimately lead to having him fired.
8. Lack Of Improvement
Rules are not suggestions. If an employee has had ample time to correct problem issues, but does not, let them know that they should try considering other career opportunities!
After pointing out certain problem areas and providing valuable suggestions to alter them, for their own, if an employee is stuck on going against the rulebook of the company, you know what to do.
Determining the time and need to fire an employee is difficult, but necessary, not only for your company but often for your employees too. Remember, when it’s time to terminate, make it quick and painless – but make it happen!