A business’ clear and forward motion can be interrupted by just one bad apple. Problematic employees are the root of multiple HR concerns such as corporate theft, workplace harassment, and improper customer service interactions. All of these could bring your company spiralling down into a sea of lawsuits and be unsightly for both your staff and your clients.
Companies both large and small have to deal with the issue of problematic employees, and it shouldn’t be an issue for you to get a second opinion. HR consultants in Edinburgh who specialise in managerial skills work with different industries and with large companies to local start-ups in helping them manage issues such as proper team management. Firing a staff member is a harsh but necessary act. As a business owner, you should know when to exercise your right regarding who stays and who goes.
Looking out for warning signs
Prevention is always the best cure. Keeping yourself on the lookout for warning signs of problem children in your staff is a matter of staying alert and getting to know your staff’s quirks and behavioural responses.
If your staff is feeling demotivated or they’re handling their work poorly, it could be due to the presence of a toxic staff member. Keeping your doors open for employee concerns and curating an HR department to get to the bottom of things can help you clear the tension and find out what exactly is happening.
Dealing with the issue
The reasons for firing an employee range from the simple to the uncomfortable and it’s best to keep things in the past especially if you need to proceed with business operations right away. However, while you’re still in the heat of things, it’s just proper for you to get to the bottom of everything and not leave any stone unturned.
Once you’ve identified clear evidence with regards to accounts or records of misbehaviour, then it’s time for you to consider how to handle the situation. Depending on the case, a stern warning for a first-time offense is customary, but when it comes to more harrowing issues such as harassment or assault, then it might be time to bring the hammer down on your staff.
Setting clear instructions for public announcements
Make sure that the punishment of letting go of an employee is the just response. To make sure that all things are settled, you should be concise in the management of the issue and that the information is aptly disseminated to your employees. Instead of opting for a group message memo, it might be a better option to announce the ‘forced’ retirement of your employee publicly and to be clear with regards to the reason for their departure. Make sure that all parties are contacted before the public announcement as it can fall under the individual’s discretion in announcing the leave or the HR department’s move to announce it.
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