Firing someone is no fun.
But when they’re not performing, and they’ve been given multiple chances and appropriate coaching and training, it’s necessary.
It’s tempting to let things keep muddling along, especially if the person appears to be trying. You feel bad for them, of course.
But letting things go on too long is a very bad idea.
For one thing, they know. They know they’re not doing what’s needed. They know things aren’t going well. And that means they also know there’s a sword hanging over their head. They just don’t know when it’s going to fall.
And guess what? That means they’re under that much more stress and strain, which only increases the likelihood that they’ll keep screwing up, making mistakes, not doing what’s needed. Because after all, that’s what happens to all of us: when stressed out, we screw up.
It’s a vicious circle, and it’s unfair to everyone – you, as their leader; their co-workers who have to fix what goes wrong; and the individual themselves, who just ends up in an endless spiral of self-blame and failure.
And that’s the rest of the story, isn’t it? The mistakes that have to be fixed – sometimes with very real costs, whether financial, angry customers, or lost opportunities. The frustration and exhaustion of co-workers who feel more and more resentful that leadership isn’t taking action. And the personal impact on the individual, who knows they’re not doing well, and feels increasingly inadequate.
Yes, there are those employees who blithely proceed along as if there’s nothing wrong, and may in fact even believe they’re doing fine. If so, that’s a serious failure of leadership, by the way. If you have an employee who’s not meeting expectations, you owe it to them to let them know, and to be clear about what they need to do to improve.
But once you’ve provided appropriate feedback, coaching, and training, and they’re still not doing what you need, it’s time to let them go. It’s more respectful and it’s kinder.
Because you do no one any favors by prolonging the agony.
If you’re a leader and you’re wrestling with this, you might find my Performance Improvement Plan checklist useful. (Direct link to PDF)
Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/computer-tied-with-black-and-yellow-tape-9830811/