How to Fire an Employee the RIght Way

 An employee gets difficult when he or she either underperforms or makes serious errors and omissions or even refuses to follow the company boss’s orders. As an employer, you would probably give the employee a chance to rectify him/herself with counseling. But in case the employee remains as difficult as he had been, it is quite natural that you would be tempted to fire him/her and look for a welcome replacement. However, to fire a difficult employee is easier said than done. There are legal, emotional and productivity ramifications to be taken into account when you decide to fire one of your employees. You have to do this unpleasant job quite tactfully so that the effects of this termination on your establishment are minimal.

Every employer-employee relationship, in essence, means payment of a certain amount of money to the employee in exchange for a certain kind of job performed by the employee for the employer. If an employee is unable to carry out a job's basic functions, he/she is no longer entitled to collect a salary, and the employer is free to look for a replacement who can do the job.

You can follow these procedures to avoid legal complications and a costly settlement if you decide to fire a difficult employee.

Failure to perform duty, negligence, lack of punctuality and excessive absences are excellent reasons for firing a difficult employee. Document the employee’s performance or lack of it according to the company protocol. If you fire the employee for poor performance, you should have on file all job evaluations, notices of deficiency, and a rough written transcript of what is said in the exit interview. Written documentation and a transcript of the exit interview are required if you fire someone for serious violations in conduct. If you have a severance policy, offer it to the employee if he/she qualifies.