How to know when to fire a person?

Question

I've got three employees that are driving me mad.

Person1: Possible drug habit, obvious criminal history, and yet huge potential for the business. Been here 4 mos and is now missing tons of time. I've seen him come to work 4 days this month b/c of his personal problems. Yet, when he comes to work-- he gets things done. What should I do?

Person 2: Weighs about 450 lbs and does not take care of himself. His weight causes him to be absent about 7-9 days a month b/c of related illnesses. He is an important role in our business and we don't have anyone else to do his job. His meds cause him to fall asleep while working and he is so slow at work now. What should I do? Been with us for 15 years!

Person 3: Been here for over 20 years and knows the business very well. She can work really hard and knows a lot of trades, but her personal problems are taking up 2 days/week. She is always late to work. What should I do?

Should I make them part-time? Fire? I'm so discouraged.

Thanks for your suggestions. FYI, we do have a handbook-- and a three strikes penalty. The problem is that if I just enforce it and get rid of ppl, then I'm out 3 key individuals-- and its actually hard to find good ppl for this business.

Some of you mentioned that it doesn't matter how late, or if, they come to work-- as long as work gets done. My associate feels this way and I'm just concerned about what that is communicating. Since when do have work ethic that says, "just get the job done?" This is why we're all work-a-holics-- b/c we think getting the work done is the *only* important thing. I agree, profit and getting work done is the most important thing, but what if it trains people to be lazy, inconsiderate, and untrustworthy. How can I plan work around ppl when I don't know when they're coming in? This isn't exactly a stay-at-home job.

I wish there was a good way to discuss this on Answers... instead of just posting.

Answer 1

1. Always remember that anyone can be replaced.

2. Do you have an employee manual? If so, what does it say about issues your refer to (absenteeism, etc.)? If your manual has guidelines for dealing with these issues, then go by the book. If you don't have a manual, have a professional put one together. You don't want to find your hands tied when trying to deal with these issues, or worse yet, being on the losing end of a wrongful termination suit because you didn't have procedures in place.

3. Person Number 1: If he's only been there four months and is already missing a lot of time, that's not acceptable. Don't hold onto him thinking things are going to get better. Counsel him about his absenteeism and give him a written warning. If he doesn't shape up, continue to counsel / warn him on every infraction then give him the boot if he doesn't improve. You should also review your company's policy about hiring people with criminal records. You don't say what kind of business you're in, but some jobs won't hire those with a criminal past because of insurance or regulatory considerations.

4. Person Number 2: Again, you should refer to your employee manual. Sit down with him and discuss how his absenteeism and sleeping on the job is affecting his work. If a health employee were having the same issues, would you be as lenient on him/her as well?

5. Person Number 3: I think she is probably the best candidate for being made part time. Talk to her about her absences and present this to her as a solution. It's either she goes part time or you have to replace her.

Other things to consider: Make sure you have been documenting every tardy, absence and counseling session you've had with these employees. Make sure any verbal warning is followed up in writing and acknowleded by the employee. When you speak with them, point out the positives as you have in this post, however be very clear that their other issues are having an impact on the company and their ability to get the work done. Ask them to come up with solutions on how to manage this situation; they may be ok with changing their hours or sharing their workload with another employee. Don't make the mistake of keeping them on if things don't improve simply because they know their jobs and have been with the company a million years. Consider how your other employees view this situation, especially if they're doing well and are showing up on time.

You will have to make some decisions. You may be surprised how much better off you, your other employees and your business will be once you've taken steps to resolve these matters.

The best of luck to you, been there and I know it's not easy.

Answer 2

I think that because you allow this problem to exist (missing work) with 1 employee, your other employees are noticing that they too could get any with this behaviour. You must nip it in the bud immediately or it will only get worse.
Employee 1 I would definitely fire. But first make sure you have a documented record of the amount of work he has missed/times he was late. That way if he goes to the Labor Board (as people like him often do - free money if they win) you can show them proof of his track record.
Then I would hold a meeting with the other employees and explain why employee 1 was fired. That way they will hopefully shape up. After being with a company for 15-20 years, the employees feel secure that they won't be fired, so you may still have to sit employees 2 & 3 down personally and express your concerns.

Answer 3

The important thing is that the work itself is getting done in a timely manner. If schedules are being missed because of these absences, then definitely take action. Otherwise, all you should do is mention your concerns.

Person 1: Tell this person that they need to clean up their act and show up for work more regularly, or you'll have to consider someone else.

Person 2: He has been loyal for 15 years. You should be able to talk frankly with the guy and ask him if there's anything he can do to stop falling asleep at work and missing so much. Work with him... you don't want to lose that.

Person 3: Same as 2, ask her to be on time.

The problem with a lot of managers is that they feel like they need to tell other people what to do in order to feel like they are doing something themselves. Don't be like that. A good manager only speaks and takes actions WHEN NECESSARY.

If you have a cog shop, and most of your employees arrive late every single day, and many of them skip work a lot, but the factory still outputs the targetted number of high quality cogs, then you don't need to say anything... the liberties you give your employees will make them work harder and appreciate their job more.

If you fall behind schedule or business is bad, then you start targetting the ones who skip work the most, etc.

Answer 4

First, establish or revamp your company's attendance policy. Without it, attendance is a free-for-all and these employees are taking advantage of it. Once you have this, communicate it to your group and let them know you will be enforcing these standards. Then start disciplinary action - if they miss work every day, week, whatever, write them up. The basic rule of discipline is "three strikes, you're out" - a written warning, a final written warning, and termination.

The reasons why the person misses work may be difficult for you to accept, but they are irrelevant. You can't make your morbidly obese employee lose weight; you can't force your drug user into rehab; you can't fix your top employee's personal problems. What you CAN do is set performance standards and enforce them. Employees can either perform at the level required by the job, or they can't. As a boss, it's your job to set those standards, enforce them, and deal appropriately with those employees who can't meet them.

Tough job but someone has to do it....good luck.

Answer 5

Firstly the fact that someone is absent at times does not always need to be actioned if that person is doing the job 100%. However, in all three cases there are clearly inefficiency problems and each of these should be addressed as such when they persist over an unacceptable period. Person 1 appears extremely unreliable and should be given a warning that he will/may loose his job if he continues. Person 2 must be dealt with sympathetically if genuine illness is the cause. Person 3 a quiet word about what you have noticed and that you are concerned about the effect on business

Answer 6

Do you have a human resources department to consult with as far as legalities of taking actions against these employees?
A couple of them may be protected because of discrimination laws. I would start documenting the real issues (late to work, performance, etc.). Sit down (after talking with human resources/upper management/legal dept.) with each employee and outline a course of action and what your expectations for each of them are. Leave anything personal or not provable (like suspected drug habit) out of the conversation - stick to work performance or else you could get yourself slapped with a lawsuit. Once you outline your course of action with each employee, make sure they have signed or initialed and dated each document. Also make sure any ramifications from non-compliance are spelled out clearly. Follow up - documenting each recurring occurrence.
For the overweight employee - have him partner with another employee to start training that person in his duties. It's always good to have a back-up and employees who are cross-trained in multiple areas so the business is not left in a bind if something unforeseen happens. What would you do if this employee were out on an extended sick leave, quit, etc.?
For the 20 yr. employee - her personal problems may just be temporary. Weigh the value of her skills vs. this. Address her tardiness. Can she make up that time by staying later and not affect the business? There are always options. Once she understands how this affects the company/fellow employees you will probably see improvement. If she has health issues or is going through a divorce, problems with her kids, etc. maybe a short (unpaid) leave of absence, disability, mandatory usage of vacation time, etc. to give her time to take care of the issues or to recover would be the solution. I would show empathy but also make sure she understands that her actions have consequences. It may be just what she needs to get back on track.
This plan will either make these employees shape up, ship out, or give you the proper tools to let them go without recourse.
I've been in your shoes and know it's not easy when you have to weigh these issues on how they will affect the company and/or other employees or customers.
Good luck!

Answer 7

Talk to your mgr or HR representative. You need to have good documentation each time they miss work. Your company has an attendance policy and at each level there should be disciplinary action. You need to take progressive steps. You also need to make sure that the people aren't covered by FMLA which allows them to miss work without disciplinary action.

Answer 8

Fire the first two. I would have person 3 have a break from her job for a while.

Answer 9

If an employee is costing you more money to keep than they are generating, it is time to let him go.