Employees can be dishonest in many ways. There are those that steal things that are owned by the company while others give false information and others fake illness. There is no fun in firing an employee due to dishonest behavior. As a matter of fact, it causes emotions to run high especially when the employee has worked for your business for several years. It can make you feel like you are the reason why his family will run into financial problems.
On the other hand, firing an employee that can’t be trusted is the only way of protecting your interests. But you have to be careful when showing your employee the door because he can turn tables on you by filing a lawsuit in a court of law for unlawful dismissal. If he wins the case, you will be slapped with a hefty penalty that will give you a run for your money. You can use the tips below to sack your employee without attracting trouble from any quarters.
1. Confirm What the Employee Did
Before you sack the employee, it’s recommended that you do your homework on what he did wrong. Knowing what was done will help you in making an informed decision. In fact, you should refer to your company’s code of conduct when making such a decision. For instance, you can check the guidelines on how to dismiss employees who pull sickies to ensure you are acting in accordance with the company’s policies.
The worst mistake you can make is to sack your employee without solid evidence against him because you will be on the losing end if he sues your company for wrongful termination of a contract. In fact, you should ignore all the rumors and take your time in collecting the evidence. Evidence can be collected by recording video and audio.
2. Arrange for a Meeting with the EmployeeSacking an employee via a phone call or email is disrespectful. In fact, the other employees will regard it as intimidation and will, therefore, weaken the strong bond that you have worked so hard to build. When you are sure the employee doesn’t stand a second chance, you should make plans to meet him in person so you can break the news directly.
You should ensure there are at least two witnesses during the meeting. This will make the employee realize that you are not making your decision based on hearsay. You should not give him a chance to beg for another chance. You should avoid beating about the bush by acknowledging his unique talents and conclude by stating that his performance is not anywhere near your company expectations.
3. See the Employee OffAt the end of the meeting, escort the employee to his workstation so he can collect his belongings. Besides that, you should provide a box for carrying such items just to show him you don’t harbor any hard feelings towards him. Before the employee walks out of your premises, you should confirm that he has handed in any property that belongs to the company. These include stuff such as badges, keys, laptop, phone and gate pass among many other things. Your IT expert should change the user details of such an employee on company’s computer. This will ensure that he doesn’t have unauthorized access to company website and emails.
Disclosure: Guest Post
Photo Credit: Ellis Whittam