As a young boss my biggest fear is to fire an employee and have him come back to gun me and my office down... What is appropriate decorum for terminating their employment? Said employee has been late constantly and when checking their work over, it has been less than satisfactory. On top of his questionable work ethic, he is flat out rude to everyone save for myself. No amount of management training can prepare me for this, so CFers who have or have been fired....how does one do it?
Does he clock in like with a punch card? Pull his card and make him come to you. Then just calmly explain that after many previous warnings he has not met the necessary expectations of his job and that you regret to inform him that he has been let go.
I've been waiting for this moment for years - do it like this: The Kids in the Hall: You're fired! But seriously, you probably need to give the guy a couple written warnings first. It costs a lot of money to hire an employee, and salvaging him as an employee should be your first concern. You're also in a much better position in any type of lawsuit if you have written documentation.
For a few weeks, make sure you're overheard saying something like "I'm fine with the work _____ has done so far. He's my guy, his position is secure." And then the day of firing, shutdown your company website for a few hours, and then drop the bomb.
Hahaha that would be awesome, sadly I dont want to pay this guy for any more of my time. However that would be an awesome troll on this guy. I should just lock him out of SAP, have his desk packed up, and a new guy in his spot. Then he would definitely kill me.
I've always wanted to put on a toupe and say.... <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PDA4lcw8k1g?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PDA4lcw8k1g?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Don't be scared business is business bro that's how it's got to be what you got to feel sorry for? He not writing your checks your writing his. If this is your first time firing someone it's easier the second time
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Should I do it McNair style? "You know youre a good employee, a hard worker, a fine gentleman. I feel that we can both be successful in other ventures. But until I decide when that is, after 5 or more years of mediocrity, you can stay!"
Have you informed him of his tardiness issues? One thing I might ask is whether he's an exempt (salary) or non-exempt employee. If he's the former, then you really shouldn't be worrying about what time he arrives unless the job absolutely requires him to be there at a particular time. Have you talked to him about his work product? Is he aware that it's less than satisfactory (and what he needs to do to make it satisfactory)? Texas is an at-will state, so you are certainly free to fire him for any reason. However, firing him for anything other than insubordination (or gross misconduct) will mean your company will be charged for his unemployment. You won't get an actual invoice, but your unemployment tax rate will increase. So it would be better to put him on warning. Often times, employees on warning will just quit, saving your company the increased taxes. If, however, you feel you must fire him, this is how I'd handle it: 1) Pick a time - preferably at the end of the day. 2) Write out the reasons that you will be releasing him. If after writing them out, your case looks silly or petty, then rethink. 3) Notify HR and your superiors and give them the reasons. Get them to either approve or at the very least "buy-in" (i.e. "we understand your reasoning and support your decision - it's your call"). If they don't agree, then rethink. HR may also ask you to postpone until they can draft up his termination letter. 4) Notify security or (if there's no security) get a couple of other managers (preferably HR) to act as your witness/backup. 5) At the end of the day, call the employee into your office. Make sure the managers are there to witness. Sit him down and explain that you have decided to release him. IF he asks why, stick to brief, simple summaries based on your list. This is not a negotiation, so if he tries to argue or please his case, simply say "I understand that this is difficult to hear, but my decision is final." Share the necessary termination information that HR has provided (benefit continuation through COBRA, final paycheck info, etc) and then accompany him to his desk. Allow him to gather his personal items and then escort him to the door. That's pretty much how it works. If he makes any threats, report him to HR and the police. But more than likely, he's just going to want to get out of there and never come back.
You can't just fire a guy outright without at least talking to him. At many companies, they will usually write that employee up and put him on probation for a period of time. If he improves, he stays. If he fails, he's let go. If you let him go without a paper trail, he might feel that there was no warning and go crazy.
