5 Signs You Need to Fire an Employee
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Under what circumstances is it necessary to fire an employee rather than looking for ways to rehabilitate them instead?
If you have been experiencing problem behavior from an employee for an extended period of time, and have tried to salvage the situation to no avail, you should consider whether the effort of correcting problems and potentially reclaiming a good employee is worth the cost (and time) savings of hiring and training a replacement.
These employees will either be saved or eventually sacked.
However, some circumstances call for immediate dismissal to avoid further damage to client relationships, team morale, or your finances.
Circumstances necessitating immediate termination include:
Theft - from the business, customers, clients, vendors, teammates - any theft, big or small, is cause for termination. Document the process and have a witness present when you fire the employee.
Egregious misconduct - examples include accessing pornographic websites, racist graffiti, insubordination, destruction of company property.
Violence - or threatening behavior. Assault, fights, threats, or stalking behavior.
Gross dishonesty - such as falsification of records.
Intoxifictaion - showing up to work drunk or on drugs is grounds for instant dismissal.
Before terminating an employee, make sure to verify that the reasons for immediate termination are valid and legal - this will largely depend on the type of employment contract they are under -and that you document the process in case of future lawsuits. Remember that the employee has a right to privacy, so keep proceedings confidential.
If you have a policy for progressive discipline in your manual, it should state that it is just for guidance and that you retain the right to terminate employment at any time. This will help protect you and your company in the event of a lawsuit.