ving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indica

There is very little in the workplace that has more of a negative and infectious impact than a lazy employee. Yet I am frequently approached by employers who are unable or unwilling to deal with this serious threat to their business. If left alone, this is a situation that invariably does damage to a business and it's employees.

I recently counseled a man who was experiencing this situation in his own business:

"I own a small business, and I have one employee who just never seems to be on the same page with everybody else. She never quite gets her jobs done, and there's always an excuse. Other people in the office do work very similar to hers, and they always get more done than she does. I've talked to her, but it's just one excuse after another. I hate to fire her---she's a nice lady, and she has children to support---but I don't know what else to do."

You're running a business, not a social service, and your employees simply must be productive. It's not your job to provide an income for this woman's children, nor to teach her a decent work ethic. It's your responsibility to run a business where your customers are happy, your employees are treated fairly, and there is a profit at the end of the day.

Sit down with this woman and speak to her directly but kindly. You might say something like this: "Susan, I've spoken to you before about your job performance. On each occasion, you've given me reasons why you couldn't complete your assignments, but the problem with your reasons is that we have other employees who do manage to complete their jobs without all the excuses you offer each time. Although your excuses may seem reasonable to you, the fact is that the job has to get done, and I can find other people who will do your job."

"I would love to keep you here, but that will depend entirely on your performance. I'll be evaluating you again in two weeks, and if your performance hasn't improved dramatically, I will let you go. And then you have to keep up that improved level of performance, or we simply must find someone else who can do this job."

Write out what you tell her, and have her sign it. Or do whatever is required in your state to document employee cautions or reprimands, so that if her employment is terminated, you're in compliance with the laws that apply.

If her work improves, be sure to tell her how pleased you are. If it doesn't, let her go, and do not feel guilty. The biggest reason that employers keep an employee who isn't doing a good job is that they're afraid the employee will be angry and won't like them. Although you're certainly responsible for being as kind to your employees as possible, your primary goal is not to have them like you. The price of that goal would be exorbitant.

You may be worried that firing her wouldn't be loving. Wrong. Consider this: As things are now, other employees are having to work harder because of the work she isn't doing. Is that loving to them? And if you allow employees to do less than their share, eventually you won't make a profit, and then everyone loses their job. That wouldn't be loving to all the rest of your employees, to your family, or to your customers. Another consideration is that if this woman isn't really doing her job, she couldn't be happy there, so you're not really be loving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indicat

rt---but I don't know what else to do."

You're running a business, not a social service, and your employees simply must be productive. It's not your job to provide an income for this woman's children, nor to teach her a decent work ethic. It's your responsibility to run a business where your customers are happy, your employees are treated fairly, and there is a profit at the end of the day.

Sit down with this woman and speak to her directly but kindly. You might say something like this: "Susan, I've spoken to you before about your job performance. On each occasion, you've given me reasons why you couldn't complete your assignments, but the problem with your reasons is that we have other employees who do manage to complete their jobs without all the excuses you offer each time. Although your excuses may seem reasonable to you, the fact is that the job has to get done, and I can find other people who will do your job."

"I would love to keep you here, but that will depend entirely on your performance. I'll be evaluating you again in two weeks, and if your performance hasn't improved dramatically, I will let you go. And then you have to keep up that improved level of performance, or we simply must find someone else who can do this job."

Write out what you tell her, and have her sign it. Or do whatever is required in your state to document employee cautions or reprimands, so that if her employment is terminated, you're in compliance with the laws that apply.

If her work improves, be sure to tell her how pleased you are. If it doesn't, let her go, and do not feel guilty. The biggest reason that employers keep an employee who isn't doing a good job is that they're afraid the employee will be angry and won't like them. Although you're certainly responsible for being as kind to your employees as possible, your primary goal is not to have them like you. The price of that goal would be exorbitant.

You may be worried that firing her wouldn't be loving. Wrong. Consider this: As things are now, other employees are having to work harder because of the work she isn't doing. Is that loving to them? And if you allow employees to do less than their share, eventually you won't make a profit, and then everyone loses their job. That wouldn't be loving to all the rest of your employees, to your family, or to your customers. Another consideration is that if this woman isn't really doing her job, she couldn't be happy there, so you're not really be loving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indica

sonable to you, the fact is that the job has to get done, and I can find other people who will do your job."

"I would love to keep you here, but that will depend entirely on your performance. I'll be evaluating you again in two weeks, and if your performance hasn't improved dramatically, I will let you go. And then you have to keep up that improved level of performance, or we simply must find someone else who can do this job."

Write out what you tell her, and have her sign it. Or do whatever is required in your state to document employee cautions or reprimands, so that if her employment is terminated, you're in compliance with the laws that apply.

If her work improves, be sure to tell her how pleased you are. If it doesn't, let her go, and do not feel guilty. The biggest reason that employers keep an employee who isn't doing a good job is that they're afraid the employee will be angry and won't like them. Although you're certainly responsible for being as kind to your employees as possible, your primary goal is not to have them like you. The price of that goal would be exorbitant.

You may be worried that firing her wouldn't be loving. Wrong. Consider this: As things are now, other employees are having to work harder because of the work she isn't doing. Is that loving to them? And if you allow employees to do less than their share, eventually you won't make a profit, and then everyone loses their job. That wouldn't be loving to all the rest of your employees, to your family, or to your customers. Another consideration is that if this woman isn't really doing her job, she couldn't be happy there, so you're not really be loving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indica

n employee who isn't doing a good job is that they're afraid the employee will be angry and won't like them. Although you're certainly responsible for being as kind to your employees as possible, your primary goal is not to have them like you. The price of that goal would be exorbitant.

You may be worried that firing her wouldn't be loving. Wrong. Consider this: As things are now, other employees are having to work harder because of the work she isn't doing. Is that loving to them? And if you allow employees to do less than their share, eventually you won't make a profit, and then everyone loses their job. That wouldn't be loving to all the rest of your employees, to your family, or to your customers. Another consideration is that if this woman isn't really doing her job, she couldn't be happy there, so you're not really be loving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indica

ving by keeping her. Firing someone is sometimes the most loving thing we can do. If it becomes necessary, do not feel guilty. Also remember that if you fire her, you will have told her exactly what was required for her to keep her job, and she will have chosen not to do it.

Practice in your mind---out loud, if necessary---what you're going to say, until you're not nervous at all. If you're nervous, it's likely that you'll unconsciously protect yourself with some degree of irritation, and then she won't learn anything. She'll only react to your anger. If you deliver your message calmly, and with compassion, you'll give her a chance to learn something.

You might add to the words we've already discussed that you care about her welfare very much, and that letting her go is not a reflection of her worth. It's only an indication that there wasn't a good match between her and the job she was assigned. If you hired her, you might even take some of the responsibility on yourself. You could say, "It was my responsibility to assess whether you and the job were a good bit, and I didn't do that well." Through it all, it will help to remember that you're doing the best thing for everyone involved. In the short term, she probably won't thank you, but in the long term, everyone wins.