I have been in the unenviable position of removing people from several of my previous teams. Unpleasant as this option is, it’s (unfortunately) sometimes necessary to move people out. No one takes firing an employee lightly – we are all people, and it’s hard to tell someone that they’re not cutting it. Before taking this drastic step, follow company policies, apply a remediation plan, and do everything you can to turn the situation around. However, if none of that works, everyone (including the person being terminated) is better off by severing the relationship. Here are a few reasons you may need to do this:
Poor performance that can’t be corrected
Before taking the extreme step of removing or terminating an employee from your organization, be sure you go through all the proper Human Resources policies and plans to attempt remediation (you might want to check out the book Jackass Whisperer). If, after exhausting all attempts to turn the situation around, nothing works, then it’s time to do something about it. As a leader, removing someone from employment is one of the most challenging aspects. But surprisingly, I have found that in most cases, the employee is relieved there’s a resolution to the situation. The chances are that it wasn’t an ideal fit for either party, and the split is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.
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Sowing negativity among other employees
Even if an employee’s performance is minimally acceptable, if they have a negative attitude, it can spread like poison throughout your organization. It’s like the old saying that “one bad apple spoils the whole barrel.” You want to root feelings like this out as quickly as possible. You can take action and turn a negative into a positive, or you might have to cut the negative person from your company. Being contrary on occasion might be allowable, but continually complaining, blaming, shaming others, or tarnishing the organization itself is simply unacceptable.
Being hostile to fellow workers
It’s one thing to be generally negative, but it’s another to harass and attack others in the workplace. No one should show up for work and feel like they’re working in a hostile work environment. I have been in situations where the hostility masqueraded as kindness, but it was a form of intentional sabotage. I have also seen disrespectful co-workers put other people down until they reached the point of tears. Denigrating others is reprehensible and unprofessional behavior and should not be tolerated. As a leader, if you discover this is happening, you need to nip it in the bud right away, or it will drive good people away.
Lying, stealing, or taking credit for other people’s ideas
Common sense dictates that lying, stealing, or taking credit for other people’s ideas constitute questionable behavior. However childish as these things seem, it’s shocking how often people do them. Sadly, I have seen all these character flaws happen repeatedly; they are an insult and should not be allowed. Sometimes it’s hard to identify and catch the culprits, but if someone reports any of these types of actions, investigate immediately and take swift action.
Other unethical behavior
Obvious sins listed above aside, there are many other ways to behave unethically. These tend to be more like criminal acts than small, petty ones. Sexual harassment or discrimination both come to mind right away. Some are overt and easily identifiable, but others are more subtle and difficult to detect. A few more big offenses may include nepotism, bribery, office affairs, preferential treatment, paying people under the table, hiring illegal immigrants, or just looking the other way instead of saying something if any of these activities occur. Be sure that you verify any reports before doing anything, though – you don’t want to get sued without having proper evidence and testimony to support the allegations.
How to safely remove an employee
When you terminate an employee, and it wasn’t their decision to leave, you need to be extra cautious about how you perform the separation. If the person is unhappy or angry about the removal, there’s the potential for dangerous consequences. We have all heard about office shootings, bomb threats, suicide attempts, and murder-suicide scenarios connected with job loss. Here are my suggestions for ensuring the process goes smoothly:
Keep the information close
Treat all information surrounding terminations confidential. Once the decision to remove someone happens, ensure all proper organizational procedures are followed and keep those in the know to a small number. The fewer people that are aware of the situation, the less likely the information will leak.
Notify IT and coordinate timing of system shut-down
In my line of work, a more significant risk than physical harm is digital harm. If an employee learns of their termination before being notified, they may have the opportunity to do all sorts of damage. I was once in a situation where the terminated person had administrator privileges in a critical system. He discovered what was happening, then accessed the system and sabotaged the data before anyone could prevent him from doing it. Had the separation been appropriately handled, he wouldn’t have had access to do any harm. It’s especially critical to time the removal of systems access to avoid this type of problem. You need to cut off access to ALL systems (you never know what kinds of integrations there might be, which are security holes).
Communicate the removal to any relevant personnel
As a company representative, separation news should come from you and not the terminated employee. Once you have notified the employee of their termination, anyone who interfaces with that person should also be alerted. Otherwise, they may inadvertently share something confidential. If everyone is aware of the situation, they can safeguard against any further retaliation. I once found out that my boss had been let go (before anyone else on my team knew) because he called me directly after it happened – I should have known about it before being blindsided like that.
If in-person, use security personnel to escort the employee off the premises
Having a security guard escort someone off company grounds may seem a bit harsh and maybe even a bit cruel, but it’s for the safety of everyone in the organization. Having an escort ensures that the separation happens without incident. You never know someone’s state of mind, especially in cases like this, so be extremely careful when executing involuntary separations.
Ensure the employee returns all company-owned equipment
Making sure you get all employer-owned equipment back should go without saying, but you’d be surprised how often little things can slip through the cracks. Most companies only track high-dollar assets, but employees pick up lots of extra equipment that you might not think to recover. Despite all the digital safeguards in place, it’s easier than you think to steal things or information on your way out the door, so have a checklist of assets and ensure they’re all returned to you before the employee departs.
Final Thoughts
It’s not fun to have to remove someone from employment, but in some cases, it’s best for everyone. If you can’t remediate the situation, take care when you take action to sever an employee/employer relationship. You’re better off safe than sorry.
And with that, this blog series is a wrap! I hope you enjoyed the topic of the Employee Life Cycle. Having been in the workplace for nearly three decades, I have seen a lot and I hope that my experiences can help you improve your employee experience so you can keep the talent you worked so hard to acquire. If you missed any of the blogs in this series, please check them out:
- How to Understand the Employee Life Cycle:
- 10 Ways to Attract Potential New Employees
- 10 Ways to Recruit Potential New Employees
- Top 10 Tips for Interviewing Potential New Employees
- Top 10 Tips for Hiring New Employees
- 10 Tips for Successfully Onboarding New Employees
- 10 Ways to Boost New Employee Performance
- What drives New Employees to Grow and Develop?
- 10 Ways to Recognize and Reward your Employees
- Top 10 Ways to Retain Your Very Best Employees
- The End of the Employee Life Cycle
If you have any final thoughts, advice, or parting words for me on this topic, please share them in the comments, and come back soon for my next blog!