Why a "bad" employee seldom gets better. Firing employees guide.
Often fired employees will file lawsuits because they feel the company
treated them unfairly during the termination process. Firing employees
is not an easy task and firing employees tactfully to avoid legal
recourse is challenging. During the termination process, you must
act quickly yet tactfully to avoid future problems with the former
employee.
Before starting down the path of employee termination, consider
the following:
Give Employees a Chance to Tell Their Side
Impressions are lasting. Therefore, you must appear unbiased when
terminating an employee. You must give them the opportunity to tell
their side of the story. This is especially important if your evidence
for firing involves rumors or eyewitness accounts from other employees.
Remember there are always several sides to a story, so do not just
consider the eyewitness story, but hear out the employee under fire
before continuing the termination process.
Terminate Right Away
By waiting days or even weeks to fire an employee after a deciding
event, you suggest their behavior is acceptable. If you have already
issued several warnings or if the action is severe enough to warrant
immediate dismissal, take action within 48 hours of the event. This
helps protect you against the employees claiming unfair dismissal.
Avoid Termination while Emotional
It is hard to be tactful when firing employees if you are uncontrollably
angry or upset about the problems. While you should terminate within
48 hours after an event, you also must remain composed during the
termination interview. Yelling “you are fired” across
the office or calling the employee a name will only bring about future
legal problems.
Most
employers make these mistakes before firing. Will you?
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