I know what you’re thinking.
*Why would we even _*consider_* terminating an employee *when a “we’re hiring” sign is in front of every business and retailers are starting new hires at $20.00 an hour?
We need to hold on to every employee we can right now, don’t we? We don’t, and sometimes we shouldn’t.
If you’re on the fence about the fate of an employee, the question you must answer regardless of an employee’s performance, position, or tenure, is whether the employee is doing the business more harm than good.
Here are three undeniable reasons to consider parting ways.
The employee has developed a consistently poor attitude.
Note the emphasis on the word developed. Everyone has an occasional bad day, but the problem with bad attitudes that persist is they tend to be contagious.
While a tenured employee who was historically engaged starts making negative comments about the job or the company, it’s a red flag. And it’s especially concerning when a new hire six who started strong has a sudden change in attitude. It’s possible the employee is frustrated by something coachable, but it’s also possible they’ve determined the position isn’t the right fit.
Address your concerns with any employee whose attitude has changed. It’s better to nip the problem in the bud before it impacts others.
*Despite coaching, the employee continues to instigate drama. *
Some people seem to thrive on conflict. It’s important to understand that this is learned behavior. It may be so deeply engrained in your employee’s personality that your coaching falls on deaf ears. You’ll know this is the case if you’ve had _several _conversations about it and things improve for a while, but the employee eventually reverts to their old ways.
Drama causes distraction for everyone. If your team is constantly distracted, they’re likely spending more time focused on the source of the distraction than on working.
If the source of the drama can’t be contained, it’s time for the offender to go.
The employee refuses to adapt to change.
Say your tenured team has a deeply entrenched “old school” way of doing things, and you’ve determined that what got your firm here won’t get you there.
You invest in technology to enable your firm to compete in the new world, but one very tenured employee _refuses t_o embrace it (either overtly or covertly).
Because tenured employees are leaders among their peers, others tend to model their behavior after them. So the real threat with a legacy employee who won’t embrace a new process is the rest of the team viewing it as _optional. _
Sometimes the root cause is simply fear of change, and when they see the new process working well for others they get on board. But sometimes they just dig their heels in, and if this is the case it’s time to part ways.
It’s never an easy decision to let someone go, but sometimes it’s just what’s best for the business.
