A lot of time, effort, and money are put into finding the perfect new hire. Everyone wants this new relationship to succeed, and we’re often willing to overlook some red flags in the first few weeks because the company is invested in this working out. But just like ignoring an issue in your house – like a slow leak, or a developing wasp nest in your roofline: hoping the problem goes away will only lead to bigger, messier problems. You need to deal with dysfunction swiftly, and if your attempts at remediation don’t work – you need to eliminate the source of the problem. You need to fire that employee.
What is a Poor Fit?
They might be the right person who just happens to be in the wrong job. Whatever you saw in them during the hiring process, those could have been signs that they were a good fit for the company culture, but they just aren’t being utilized in the best role for their skills. Have they:
- Expressed frustration or seemed bored
- Told you they feel underutilized
- Shown some improvement but not enough for the needs of the position
- Tried to make things work
- Seemed to fit the culture of your workplace
If so, you may simply need to place them in a different role in the company. It’s important to frame this in a positive way, so it’s not seen as punitive or a demotion.
Sometimes it’s the actual person who isn’t a right fit for the company. Whether they aren’t aligned with the culture or simply aren’t good at the job they were hired for, reassigning them isn’t the right answer. It’s the hardest part of the job, but firing must be done for the good of the company, and for the good of the rest of the employees.
Consequences for Company Culture
What are the results of ignoring a poor employee fit? The entire workforce can be affected by an employee who is negative, gossips, or doesn’t add value to the team. This, in turn, creates cracks in the company’s culture. Then you’re dealing with the effects on other employees as well, compounding the issue, into something much greater than simply dealing with the problem employee. Like that leak in your house, as it goes unattended, it causes damage to the wall, to belongings, and eventually grows mold that can make the entire household sick. Outside of how a poor fit affects the team, it can also cause you to lose customers. A bad hire can wreck client relationships. The longer you let it go unchecked, the greater the collateral damage.
Prevention is the Best Medicine
Better hiring practices can prevent a large percent of poor fit situations. We need to recognize that even in the best of circumstances, there will be a hire that just doesn’t work out. So you can’t hope to avoid the firing process altogether! But we do want to minimize it. It’s stressful for both management and the employee, obviously. And it’s costly. Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding a new employee can cost a lot, around $14,900 according to a CareerBuilder survey – and when you fire them, you have to do it all again. Bad hires occur for many reasons, including:
- Feeling you need to hire someone quickly
- Failing to convey the company culture in the interview process
- Not properly conveying your brand
- Lacking the skills to interview and hire effectively
According to a 2015 talent acquisition study, a standardized interview process provides the tools to effectively evaluate candidates and formulate good questions. Peer to peer interviews can also help determine how a prospective hire would fit into the company culture. It’s also important to pay attention to your onboarding process. This shouldn’t just be a one week orientation. A year long program that acclimates new hires and motivates them to perform can improve retention and productivity by 70-80%.
How to Fire an Employee
Sometimes firing is just inevitable. Don’t put it off, thinking somehow that your leak will fix itself and the moldy drywall will magically disappear. That wasp nest that started as just a nuisance isn’t going anywhere – it will grow, and it will fill with angry wasps. The sooner you take decisive action, the better for everyone. We’ve established that addressing an issue head on is the best course of action. But what is best practice for the exact steps to take?
- Create a paper trail. Document everything to do with performance issues. Their personnel file should tell the whole story. When the paperwork shows a clear issue, then that speaks for itself.
- Review Promises. If there is an employment contract, you will need to honor its terms. Double check whether any verbal comments could be construed as commitments to employment from a legal perspective.
- Give them a chance to correct any problems. Be specific about expectations and deadlines, and take out all the guesswork. Coaching can also be offered.
- Meet with their direct supervisor or HR. Solicit advice and let them review the situation with you. Don’t make the call to terminate all on your own.
When it comes to the termination meeting, have a witness and get right to the point. You won’t soften the blow by making jokes or trying to lighten the mood. It is going to be difficult and uncomfortable for both you and the employee, so cut to the chase. Allow them to respond (without getting defensive). Then provide them with benefit information including last paycheck, COBRA information, and any other programs your company provides.
Being willing to fire an employee that was a bad hire, simply shows your commitment to retaining great people and fostering an environment that promotes excellence. The more you nurture your values and culture, the easier it will be to recognize the poor fits. And you can protect your workplace culture from personalities that cause cracks that can affect all of the employees, as well as your brand, and client relationships.
