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Dear Steve & Jon, I want to terminate a weak employee but I would like for her to stay onboard until I find her replacement. How do I accomplish that? Signed: Apprehensive |
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and author of Atlanta Jobs Dear Apprehensive, How much money are you willing to spend to keep harmony in your group? Sure, you can simply fire the weakest link, but what effect will that have on your remaining employees? If your budget can take a hit, here’s the procedure to save you agony and maintain good morale. First you need to have your documentation in order, to avoid any legal repercussions. Second, call a recruiter or headhunter and tell them you are conducting a replacement search. Explain why you need this done quietly, and that you will want to interview in their offices. They will search for three candidates from whom you can choose, then you will have the final interview in your offices so the potential hire can see the environment. Once you have made an offer and it is accepted, contact an outplacement firm and arrange for your soon-to-be ex-employee to receive job search assistance. The outplacement firm will have a representative onsite to help you break the news, and hopefully she will understand. In my experiences, weak employees know their status and are not surprised when terminated. |
with Professional Search of Atlanta Dear Apprehensive, Have you trained, managed, counseled and documented sufficiently to know this is the right decision, and for the rest of the team to conclude this is the best action for the team? What impact will this have on other strategic goals, such as diversity goals? What assistance can you provide to help the employee find a new job? Although maintaining confidentially is one of the options offered to you by using a search firm, is this an employee with whom you may want to consider discussing the pending separation and are there conditions under which she can assist with the transition. If she is aware that her efforts are producing substandard results, she may actually thank you for getting her out from under the pressure. |