Ever had to fire someone?

Editing for more anonymity

The president of the company has instructed me to start handing out write-ups to one of my subordinates and make some changes if his behavior doesn't improve, but I'm really struggling with it.

We're a fairly small company, so we don't really have an HR department and crap like this ends up falling on me and I've never had to do it. What's the best way to do it?

 

I haven't fired anyone so take this with a grain of salt.

Give him a warning and if he doesn't turn it around then fire him. At that point it'll be solely his fault IMO.

 

Just be direct. Tell him that his attendance and on-time performance aren't living up to the standards of the company and tell him you're letting him go. Don't be emotional about it; it's all business. And don't make excuses for him -- him showing up late is probably annoying the hell out of everyone that makes the effort to be in on time, and tolerating his sloppiness hurts morale. If his absences aren't having an impact then clearly you probably don't need him. Get rid of him and bring in someone who's attendance will IMPROVE the business.

 

Like a human!

Firing someone sucks, and there's no best way to do it. More than likely, they know they're missing a lot of work (maybe purposely because they don't like the job, maybe not), and when they're pulled aside or called into an office for the first time then they'll likely know what's going on before they take the first step in your direction.

Compassion goes a long way, and you'll not have any more fun in that conversation than they will. Unfortunate situation, so being natural and human about it is the best way, IMO. I have had to let a few people go myself and I've never taken the stance as Boss Man telling them to take a hike. Always of this is what your job requires, this is what you're failing to do that meets those standards, and these are the reasons why we have to let you go.

Good luck to ya!

 

That's what my gut (and the president) are both telling me. At the end of the day, it's my neck in the guillotine if we miss a project deadline.

 

His accountability/credibility is lacking. That's an attribute you don't want in any business. Can you trust him to be there when you really need him?

 

So you're saying he's kinda useless? If one person on any of my project teams takes a half day I notice that it impacts my performance and I'm not happy. If he's just dead weight.. who cares??

 

And therein lies the root of the problem.

Time to decide if you are fit for the role or not. Not everyone is. If you are only in it for the money, not development of others via leadership, that could be a clue.

@TR4FTMFW has the method right. The objective is to correct the behavior. If they can't abide, they need to be elsewhere.

You don't think there is impact. (There is) But you also don't get to make that judgement until you are the prez.

Sometimes we learn the most with tough stuff. Never fun but almost always the right thing to do

 

Sounds like someone who might be seeking employment elsewhere anyway.

Also, if you don't have a record of trying to correct the behavior I think you can get sued for wrongful termination if you are not notifying them of their errors.

https://hbr.org/2016/02/a-step-by-step-guide-to-firing-someone

http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2014/05/when-can-you-sue-for-wrongful-termination.html

 

This.

Check to see your state rules regarding at-will employment. Also is there any wording of this in any employee agreement etc.

If possible in your state, it's better to fire without giving any reasons.

 

Do what the boss say's or you could be next!

 

Our small company has seen some pretty solid growth, so my department quickly went from "an autonomous two man team" to a department of six. It's been a learning curve to say the least, but I'm enjoying it.

I scheduled a sit down and invited the Big Cheese to join us, but one of the attendees didn't show up this morning.............Hate to say it, but the writing is on the wall.


And yes......I spend a lot of time on TW while I'm sitting in on conference calls that don't pertain to me.

 

I have had to, not a good feeling especially when you have worked with someone a few years. My situation was different, the guy I had to fire was stealing company laptops and selling them to pawn shops.......

 

That seems like a pretty straight forward outcome, did you have the police there when you were cutting the strings?

 

No, he explained that he only did it for emergency medical bills and for the kids......We asked where the pawn shop was and we recovered two out of three.

Sad thing is it was in Georgia where living was cheap and he was making close to $70K a year with overtime and lost it all for a few $1200 computers.

 

Sometimes things like that happen, very sad.

 

I had to fire 3 people, who at one time were higher up than me. They were fired because they violated safety protocol, though...a level 3 foreman, a track-hoe operator and his spotter.

 

I haven't had to fire anyone yet but I went to school for Organizational management and landed a job as an administrative manager at a local financial firm. I'd agree with both of the above-mentioned comments depending on the situation with the employee. Have there been any warnings given to him about both attendance and lack pride in his work ethic? If no, then that means you've found an area that you need to improve on with you communication with your employees. It's slightly harder to justify firing someone for this type of offense if no effort was made to correct or make aware of the problem.

That being said if you have done the necessary steps prior and there's still issues- 100% be direct and cut the cord. Even if he's not affecting the flow of productivity by not being there it definitely shows he's not useful to the organization. At the end of the day it's a business.

^100% agree with these statements are well. Anyone can sit in the position you're in, but not everyone is made for or has the correct skills and abilities for it (not saying that you don't possess these). You are a leader and a person of influence.

I had a professor that told me he operates his classes like his businesses: Show up on time and do your work to the best of your ability. He also didn't care about absences. He said if barring a serious medical or family issues he didn't care what the excuse was and they weren't valid. As a manager and a leader you aren't there to waste your time listening to their excuses. You're not their therapist. At the end of the day you aren't there to be their friend, but you can still find a way to lead with understanding and compassion.

 

Yeah, there's no easy way around that one. As someone mentioned earlier, it does suck when you have to fire someone. You–or at least I– immediately thought of their family and how/what they are going to do. But at the end of the day, if we (the supervisors/company) are not at fault, then we must do what we have to. If this person has a family, be cautious, but also firm.

If his attendance has no negative impact on the business, it sounds like you could probably get away with one less employee anyway. Split up his salary among the rest of the team. In return, they will work harder and fill in the gaps.

 

I've tried to get fired many times.....