Actual for You - Firing Employees Isn't for Sissies

INTRODUCTION

I recently had a good friend experience a troubling termination of an employee. This was for a national retail distribution company where my friend serves as Sales Manager for one of the company's regional outlets. The problem centered on a young (thirty-ish) salesman who was well trained but acted like a loose cannon, e.g., policies and procedures weren't always followed, and he was caustic and abrasive with customers and suppliers alike. This inevitably resulted in some serious customer relations problems for the company. On more than one occasion, my friend was called in to bail out the salesman. His conduct and attitudes were well documented in his performance reviews and my friend went beyond the call of duty to counsel the salesman. Regardless, the salesman recently insulted a young female supplier by using the legendary "f***" word on the telephone (along with several other choice expletives). Not surprising, this traveled up and down the management chain of command until it finally landed on the desk of the Sales Manager who was told to fire the salesman. Dutifully, my friend called him into his office, explained the situation, and gave the salesman the option of allowing him to either resign or be terminated. The salesman flew into a rage and called the Sales Manager every name in the book and came close to exchanging blows with him. It was very ugly.

I talked with my friend at length about the incident and told him if he was guilty of anything, it was that he was too kind and too often gave his people the benefit of a doubt. Whereas he always hopes for the best from an employee, I generally expect the worst and am pleasantly surprised when things work out. In other words, they have to earn my respect; they cannot take it for granted. This got me thinking about how we terminate employees these days. In the old days, if you screwed up, you were fired on the spot and shown the door. No questions asked; it was a done deal. But in today's litigious society, managers have to be more careful or face a costly lawsuit.

I remember firing my first employee several years ago. Even though I hadn't hired the person, it was my duty to terminate him. The night before the termination, I agonized over how I would do it and what I would say. My stomach flipped-flopped and I definitely did not look forward to doing it. Nonetheless, the next day I called the employee into my office, explained his services were no longer needed, and let him go. In hindsight, I'm sure it was less than perfect, but I somehow got through it (and had a stiff drink afterwards). Since then I have had to terminate a fair share of people over the years. I no longer get upset over it and have learned a few things along the way. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that firing employees isn't for sissies. There are not many things worse a manager can do than botching a firing. We laugh at Donald Trump saying, "You're fired," on television, but that is a rigged situation where contestants already understand there is going to be only one survivor. In the real-world, a termination affects a lot of people other than the employee and yourself; it affects the employee's co-workers, family and, in the situation described above, customers and vendors. Firing an individual requires great skill and, as far as I'm concerned should be left to professionals.

BACKGROUND

There is a big difference between firing a person and letting a person go. Whereas the latter could be the result of work stoppages, the former is due to the performance of the individual. As such, this article is primarily concerned with firing. From the outset understand this, keeping a poor performer employed is a disservice to the company, the co-workers, you (the boss), as well as the individual. As mentioned in the beginning, a poor performer causes co-workers and/or the boss to work overtime to cover for the employee. Consider this though, it hurts the individual who is either unskilled for the job or has risen above his level of competency. This type of person has hit a "dead-end" in his career and it is unfair to keep him in a position where you know he will undoubtedly fail. Let him get on with his life in another capacity where he might succeed.

Prior to any firing, a paper-trail is required to document the person's performance. An Employee Performance Evaluation (or "Review") should be conducted routinely, particularly in the early stages of employment. Such a Review should highlight both the person's strengths and weaknesses giving the boss an opportunity to offer advice to the employee on how to better himself. Very important, have the employee read the Review carefully and SIGN IT. Thereby, the employee can never say he was unaware of any problems.

If the employee is struggling and you have to put him "on notice" (either improve or face termination), this should be written into the Review as well. More importantly, if you put a person "on notice" be sure to follow the worker's progress carefully, not only to make sure he is improving, but to see if he is preparing to bail out on you.

PREPARATIONS

Assuming you have adequately documented the employee's performance and you are convinced you have just cause to fire him, now it is time to properly prepare yourself:

Customer Service: A Great Way To Win New Business
A very common mistake made by start-up companies, and indeed smaller businesses in general, is to not take customer service seriously. Too often, managers think all it entails is answering the phone promptly and being polite to customers – and how often do companies fail to do even that!In fact, customer service can soon become more important to a start-up than sales and marketing, helping it retain customers (selling to existing customers is much cheaper than finding fresh ones) and maximise its income from them. Good customer service can also help gain new customers, as word spreads about how great a particular company is to do business with. Managers should, therefore, have a strategy for customer service which goes well beyond simply being polite on the telephone.So if you are starting a new company, how do you go about delivering good customer service? Begin by thinking what customers might reasonably expect as a basic level of service. For a shop, that could be having friendly, knowledgeable sales staff to help them and a good range of products in stock. That, in turn, means being careful to hire the right kind of people, giving them adequate product training and having effective stock control procedures in place.But achieving a basic level of service isn’t enough if you want your start-up to be really successful. You must find ways to exceed the expectations of your customers – remember, the objective is to have them tell their friends and colleagues that your company is “great”, rather than just “not bad” or “OK”.One low cost way to do this is to consciously control the expectations of your customers, by always making promises to them that you know you can exceed. For example, if it will take a week for your shop to supply a spare part you should tell the customer it will take ten days. Then when the part arrives ‘early
f command until it finally landed on the desk of the Sales Manager who was told to fire the salesman. Dutifully, my friend called him into his office, explained the situation, and gave the salesman the option of allowing him to either resign or be terminated. The salesman flew into a rage and called the Sales Manager every name in the book and came close to exchanging blows with him. It was very ugly.

I talked with my friend at length about the incident and told him if he was guilty of anything, it was that he was too kind and too often gave his people the benefit of a doubt. Whereas he always hopes for the best from an employee, I generally expect the worst and am pleasantly surprised when things work out. In other words, they have to earn my respect; they cannot take it for granted. This got me thinking about how we terminate employees these days. In the old days, if you screwed up, you were fired on the spot and shown the door. No questions asked; it was a done deal. But in today's litigious society, managers have to be more careful or face a costly lawsuit.

I remember firing my first employee several years ago. Even though I hadn't hired the person, it was my duty to terminate him. The night before the termination, I agonized over how I would do it and what I would say. My stomach flipped-flopped and I definitely did not look forward to doing it. Nonetheless, the next day I called the employee into my office, explained his services were no longer needed, and let him go. In hindsight, I'm sure it was less than perfect, but I somehow got through it (and had a stiff drink afterwards). Since then I have had to terminate a fair share of people over the years. I no longer get upset over it and have learned a few things along the way. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that firing employees isn't for sissies. There are not many things worse a manager can do than botching a firing. We laugh at Donald Trump saying, "You're fired," on television, but that is a rigged situation where contestants already understand there is going to be only one survivor. In the real-world, a termination affects a lot of people other than the employee and yourself; it affects the employee's co-workers, family and, in the situation described above, customers and vendors. Firing an individual requires great skill and, as far as I'm concerned should be left to professionals.

BACKGROUND

There is a big difference between firing a person and letting a person go. Whereas the latter could be the result of work stoppages, the former is due to the performance of the individual. As such, this article is primarily concerned with firing. From the outset understand this, keeping a poor performer employed is a disservice to the company, the co-workers, you (the boss), as well as the individual. As mentioned in the beginning, a poor performer causes co-workers and/or the boss to work overtime to cover for the employee. Consider this though, it hurts the individual who is either unskilled for the job or has risen above his level of competency. This type of person has hit a "dead-end" in his career and it is unfair to keep him in a position where you know he will undoubtedly fail. Let him get on with his life in another capacity where he might succeed.

Prior to any firing, a paper-trail is required to document the person's performance. An Employee Performance Evaluation (or "Review") should be conducted routinely, particularly in the early stages of employment. Such a Review should highlight both the person's strengths and weaknesses giving the boss an opportunity to offer advice to the employee on how to better himself. Very important, have the employee read the Review carefully and SIGN IT. Thereby, the employee can never say he was unaware of any problems.

If the employee is struggling and you have to put him "on notice" (either improve or face termination), this should be written into the Review as well. More importantly, if you put a person "on notice" be sure to follow the worker's progress carefully, not only to make sure he is improving, but to see if he is preparing to bail out on you.

PREPARATIONS

Assuming you have adequately documented the employee's performance and you are convinced you have just cause to fire him, now it is time to properly prepare yourself:

Incorporation and Limited Liability Company Formation in the UK
A limited liability company formation carries a number of substantial benefits to small and medium sized self employed businesses. A limited company formation effectively creates a new corporate body distinct from the owners of the business, shareholders, which protects those owners from unlimited personal liabilities in the majority of circumstances and can carry significant tax advantages which vary from year to yearIncorporation does carry additional responsibilities to being self employed. The company formation requires the submission of the incorporation details to Company House which must be updated and confirmed each year through the Company House Annual Return. Audited financial accounts must be filed annually both with Company House and the Inland Revenue.Every limited liability company must have formally appointed company officers at all times. A private limited company must have at least one director, the company articles of association may require more than one, and each limited liability company must have at least one company secretary. While a director can be the company secretary a sole director cannot.Limited Liability Company FormationStarting a limited liability company in the UK is not complicated, company formation requiring the two Company House forms, 10 and 12, and the submission of a memorandum and articles of association to complete the company formation and registration.Company House Form 10 provides details of the first directors and intended situation of the registered office. A name check should be carried out with Company House to ensure the proposed name is available and suitable and the proposed limited liability company name entered on form 10 with limited as the last word. Also check addresses and post codes with Royal Mail to avoid the company formation registration being rejected. Company Housep>I remember firing my first employee several years ago. Even though I hadn't hired the person, it was my duty to terminate him. The night before the termination, I agonized over how I would do it and what I would say. My stomach flipped-flopped and I definitely did not look forward to doing it. Nonetheless, the next day I called the employee into my office, explained his services were no longer needed, and let him go. In hindsight, I'm sure it was less than perfect, but I somehow got through it (and had a stiff drink afterwards). Since then I have had to terminate a fair share of people over the years. I no longer get upset over it and have learned a few things along the way. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that firing employees isn't for sissies. There are not many things worse a manager can do than botching a firing. We laugh at Donald Trump saying, "You're fired," on television, but that is a rigged situation where contestants already understand there is going to be only one survivor. In the real-world, a termination affects a lot of people other than the employee and yourself; it affects the employee's co-workers, family and, in the situation described above, customers and vendors. Firing an individual requires great skill and, as far as I'm concerned should be left to professionals.

BACKGROUND

There is a big difference between firing a person and letting a person go. Whereas the latter could be the result of work stoppages, the former is due to the performance of the individual. As such, this article is primarily concerned with firing. From the outset understand this, keeping a poor performer employed is a disservice to the company, the co-workers, you (the boss), as well as the individual. As mentioned in the beginning, a poor performer causes co-workers and/or the boss to work overtime to cover for the employee. Consider this though, it hurts the individual who is either unskilled for the job or has risen above his level of competency. This type of person has hit a "dead-end" in his career and it is unfair to keep him in a position where you know he will undoubtedly fail. Let him get on with his life in another capacity where he might succeed.

Prior to any firing, a paper-trail is required to document the person's performance. An Employee Performance Evaluation (or "Review") should be conducted routinely, particularly in the early stages of employment. Such a Review should highlight both the person's strengths and weaknesses giving the boss an opportunity to offer advice to the employee on how to better himself. Very important, have the employee read the Review carefully and SIGN IT. Thereby, the employee can never say he was unaware of any problems.

If the employee is struggling and you have to put him "on notice" (either improve or face termination), this should be written into the Review as well. More importantly, if you put a person "on notice" be sure to follow the worker's progress carefully, not only to make sure he is improving, but to see if he is preparing to bail out on you.

PREPARATIONS

Assuming you have adequately documented the employee's performance and you are convinced you have just cause to fire him, now it is time to properly prepare yourself:

Where Do I Place My Logo?
We all know how important a logo is for an organization. Starting from the stationery, accessories to large billboards, a company logo finds place in almost everything that belongs to the company. Wrong placement of a logo can easily demean the very essence of it and that’s why, placement of a logo at the right place is critical. While there is no pre-determined perfect place for a logo to be positioned, the thumb rule is, irrespective of its color or size; a logo should be put at a place where it gets the maximum exposure.So, how do we go about it? There are no fixed rules for placing a logo. So before positioning a logo on a product, we need to answer three simple questions:Who will use the product? How will it be used? Where will it be used?Let’s take a basic example of stationery accessories like a pen or a pencil. In case of a pen we are more likely to find the logo at the middle of the tube whereas in case of a pencil we usually find it at the rear end i.e. away from the tip. The underlying reason behind this placement is while using a pen or a pencil, we hold it near the tip and thus that place gets concealed within our fingers. So having the logo near the tip makes less impact. The rear part of a pen or a pencil gets the maximum exposure, so a logo over there gathers more viewer attention.In automobiles, the logo can be found both at the front as well as the back of the vehicle. The front bonnet of a car usually has the emblem of the manufacturer and the rear end has the name of the brand embossed. However, the degree of viewer attention differs to a larger extent. For instance, while walking on the street or driving a car, we tend to move away from an incoming speeding vehicle whereas we follow or overtake a vehicle that is moving in our direction. So the rear end of a vehicle gets prolonged attention than the front. Nevertheself; it affects the employee's co-workers, family and, in the situation described above, customers and vendors. Firing an individual requires great skill and, as far as I'm concerned should be left to professionals.

BACKGROUND

There is a big difference between firing a person and letting a person go. Whereas the latter could be the result of work stoppages, the former is due to the performance of the individual. As such, this article is primarily concerned with firing. From the outset understand this, keeping a poor performer employed is a disservice to the company, the co-workers, you (the boss), as well as the individual. As mentioned in the beginning, a poor performer causes co-workers and/or the boss to work overtime to cover for the employee. Consider this though, it hurts the individual who is either unskilled for the job or has risen above his level of competency. This type of person has hit a "dead-end" in his career and it is unfair to keep him in a position where you know he will undoubtedly fail. Let him get on with his life in another capacity where he might succeed.

Prior to any firing, a paper-trail is required to document the person's performance. An Employee Performance Evaluation (or "Review") should be conducted routinely, particularly in the early stages of employment. Such a Review should highlight both the person's strengths and weaknesses giving the boss an opportunity to offer advice to the employee on how to better himself. Very important, have the employee read the Review carefully and SIGN IT. Thereby, the employee can never say he was unaware of any problems.

If the employee is struggling and you have to put him "on notice" (either improve or face termination), this should be written into the Review as well. More importantly, if you put a person "on notice" be sure to follow the worker's progress carefully, not only to make sure he is improving, but to see if he is preparing to bail out on you.

PREPARATIONS

Assuming you have adequately documented the employee's performance and you are convinced you have just cause to fire him, now it is time to properly prepare yourself:

What's So Special About The Objective Statement?
Well, if you want to make sure a prospective employer reads your resume, the objective statement can be more than special: It can be critical.If you are in the market for a new computer and a salesperson asks you what features you are specifically looking for, you may spout off a few details, such as: 512KB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, flat panel monitor, wireless optical mouse or any of a dozen other desired features. The salesperson is much better equipped to find a computer that matches your description if you provide the right kind of information.The same is true of an objective statement. If you don’t use one, an employer might not be able to figure out what type of position you are seeking.Do not assume your resume is clear and to the point. Do not assume your cover letter will be able to convey everything, either. The cover letter might not even get read. Even if it does get read, it could very easily get separated from your resume. If that happens, the employer has no lead-in to your resume and it has to stand alone.It is for this reason that the objective statement becomes critical.Are you interested in getting hired for a specific position or are you ok with interviewing for any position an employer has available? Most people are relatively specific about the kind of work they want to do. You probably are, too.That means the employer needs some direction from you.The objective statement tells the employer what you are interested in. A well written objective statement does it in a way that lets the employer know what you can do for them, too.What can an objective statement do for you?It can:Arouse interest in the rest of the resume Inject energy and enthusiasm Express your desire to contribute to the organization Articulate your knowledge ofe he might succeed.

Prior to any firing, a paper-trail is required to document the person's performance. An Employee Performance Evaluation (or "Review") should be conducted routinely, particularly in the early stages of employment. Such a Review should highlight both the person's strengths and weaknesses giving the boss an opportunity to offer advice to the employee on how to better himself. Very important, have the employee read the Review carefully and SIGN IT. Thereby, the employee can never say he was unaware of any problems.

If the employee is struggling and you have to put him "on notice" (either improve or face termination), this should be written into the Review as well. More importantly, if you put a person "on notice" be sure to follow the worker's progress carefully, not only to make sure he is improving, but to see if he is preparing to bail out on you.

PREPARATIONS

Assuming you have adequately documented the employee's performance and you are convinced you have just cause to fire him, now it is time to properly prepare yourself:

1. First, you may need to get permission from your superior or someone in Human Resources to fire the person. Be prepared to give a detailed reason for terminating the employee and be able to substantiate your claim. This makes for a convenient rehearsal for the firing.

2. Consider the person's current work assignments and what affect his firing will have on your department (co-workers, vendors, customers, delivery dates, etc.). Even if a person is working on something critical for the company, and it is absolutely necessary to terminate him, do not let the employee hold his job hostage. Even if you kept the person, there is no telling whether his work would ever be completed to your satisfaction. If he has to go, he has to go. Do not procrastinate.

3. Determine an exit strategy. To minimize disrupting the work of others, determine a proper time and date to terminate the employee. More people are fired on late Friday afternoons than any other time or day of the week. Why? Simple. It is the end of the work-week and people are more interested in going home than listening to someone being fired. By Monday, the person will already be a memory.

   Psychologists might suggest Monday mornings are a better time for terminations as opposed to Fridays, simply because the employee won't have time to think about it over the weekend and become despondent or irrational. As for me, I am a Friday man as I don't want this to weigh too heavily on the staff.

   In preparing for the employee's exit, consider what corporate paperwork is involved (see Human Resources), what keys, locks, badges, computer passwords may need to be changed, and back up the employee's computer files. Under no circumstance should the employee be allowed to touch his computer after being dismissed; there is no need to invite sabotage.

   Select a witness to attend the termination meeting (this should be done in all cases regardless if you are expecting a hostile firing or not). Even better, be prepared to record the termination if possible in case it is needed in a court of law.

   If necessary, have a box prepared for the employee to empty his desk.

DO IT PROFESSIONALLY

Now the hard part; actually terminating the employee. Now you have to prepare yourself psychologically. If you go into it with any emotions (guilt, anger, sympathy), you are doomed to fail. Always remember you are an emissary of the company, not an individual with a vendetta. It is hard to be cold in situations like this, but you have to be well organized and in the proper state of mind to pull this off. Ideally, the objective should be that the employee being terminated comes away from the dismissal knowing he had been fired by a pro, not a clown.

Just prior to the dismissal, talk to your witness and let him/her know what you are about to do and what will be expected from the witness during the termination (which should be to simply observe and not to speak during the firing).

When ready, invite the employee into a private room, preferably away from the co-workers. Be cordial but avoid idle chit-chat as it is not relevant at this point. Inform the person of the purpose of the meeting and why he is being terminated. It is important the person understand why they are being fired. Some people feel this is unnecessary. I don't for two reasons: First, if a person starts litigation against you or the company, he cannot claim he didn't know the reason for the termination, and; Second, if the person is ever going to improve in the future, he should understand why he is being dismissed.

It is very important you remain in control of the meeting at all times. Stick to the facts and do not waver. The employee will react one of two ways: either surprised by the termination (didn't see it coming) or knew it was inevitable. The emotional reaction to the termination may take many forms:

• Grateful it is over (allowing them to move on to something else).
• Understands reasons and accepts it.
• Embarrassment.
• Anger.

Regardless of the emotional reaction to the termination, stay in control of the meeting. Do not show weakness by back-peddling or allowing second chances. Remember, you reviewed the employee's work performance in the past and the employee should have already adjusted his work habits. Pr

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