READY, AIM, .....
There may be no more misunderstood, and yet important, management function than the process for terminating chronic employees.
Sadly, however, terminations in most industries are mishandled and create a huge potential for problems for managers and owners of any size enterprise, issues such as:
- Legal actions with corresponding attorneys fees and potential settlement costs;
- Poor morale from an uneasy workplace filled with gossip and resentment;
- Employee turnover and
- the worst, of course, is a probable loss of a revenue and customer base.
But take comfort that terminating can be a learned skill and doesn't have to cause management nightmares.
So what's the biggest firing mistake managers/owners make?
Their biggest mistake is that they don't fire! They continue to keep losers and trouble makers on the payroll beyond any logic or business reasoning other than procrastination or fear of the unknown.
Nearly every client I've worked with has a percentage of poor employees who have been poor employees for a long time. Letting a problem employee continue to be on your payroll invites many, if not more difficulties than terminations that are not handled perfectly.
Employees watch what you do as manager/leader and if you tolerate constant absenteeism, tardiness, sloppy work and other employee problems, you can hardly expect everyone else to always be "A" performers.
In nearly 30 years of managing, I've seen time and again that management spends entirely too much time and effort babysitting "D" and "F" performers. Utilize your precious management coaching and motivation time with the C's, B's and A's. They're more meaningful for your future.
And don't be afraid of employment laws - just be respectful of them and don't continue to tolerate pain-in-the-neck employees!
Handling terminations properly and in a timely manner can make a significant difference to your businesses productivity and morale. Next Page...