Tactful or Tasteful Lesson #4 Your Fired!

How many horror stories have been told regarding an employee being fired with nothing more than a layoff notice and a few minutes to gather their personal items?  What about the story of the employees who came to work only to find the doors locked or company closed permanently without any warning.  When one has to fire or terminate someone or a group of people, there will be some uneasiness or even dread.   However, there does not have to be a lack of compassion or class when delivering bad news.  When an employee is not fulfilling their part of an agreement, an employer’s job is to handle the situation in a way he or she sees fit.  In this case scenario, I will discuss how I would reprimand or worse replace an employee.

 First, I would do is call in the employee for a meeting with the intent to go over their work performance.  This job review performance will provide the employee with notification of a deficiency.  In my review, I would point out the areas that are not meeting the companies work policies or objectives.  Before the review, I would already have a list of strengths and accomplishments as well as weaknesses or improvement areas to discuss from prior observations.  In this particular case, it would not hurt to have examples of some of the complaints or confrontations as proof instead of coming across as vague or indefinite.  I would also come up with recommendations to improve the employee’s work performance in a specific period.  If in that time the employee’s performance has not shown any form of improvement, I will include in the review the consequence, which is a ground for termination.

If the case scenario tells me that this particular employee is already confrontational, his response may be even more challenging or defensive.  When dealing with this type of conflict style, I would use the collaboration style to deal with the employee’s behavior.  Furthermore, the type of collaboration strategy I would use would be “initiating problem solving” which involves using statements that initiate mutual consideration of solutions to conflict” (Cahn, 2007).  My solution would be to give my employee an action plan which will demonstrate to him or her steps in order to improve their work ethics.  There would also be a copy of the employee’s job description included with a list of requirements needed in order to fulfill the job.  This will help reiterate goals to meet in a specific amount of time allotted to ensure a higher rate of success. 

  As I continue to use my collaboration style in order to deal with this conflict, I would also make sure I explain my position and the value this employee has to the company. With this all said and done, I would also notify my employee that I cannot negate the fact that his or her recent behavior does not coincide with the company’s value system.  However, in still, if the employee's demeanor or disposition is continuously negative or hostile, I would make it clear that if the behavior worsens within the next few days, the alternative recourse may be immediate termination. 

As I conclude the meeting, I will have the employee sign the performance review sheet, answer any questions, go over all concerns or course of action for clarity, and dismiss the employee with plans to monitor his or her situation discreetly.