When is the Best Time to Fire Someone?

Every business owner is faced with the task of hiring and firing. Letting someone go is easy under some circumstances, but it’s often a heavy burden.

The Best Time to Fire Someone is Immediately Upon the First Time You Consider It.

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Trust your instincts. Your feelings are probably right.

Letting awkward and angry feelings fester are really bad for you and your organization. They affect the whole place. Letting someone stay who just doesn’t blend with your personal style isn’t going to work for either of you. You usually know these things early on. Tolerating behavior like lateness, disrespect, sloppiness or rudeness is going to bring your reputation down. It’s easy to identify these things. Nip them in the bud.

Today, lawsuits are a concern so every employer should have an employee handbook clearly describing your policies. If you describe how employee performance is judged, lay out and follow your warning and reprimand procedures, and you document these, you’ll keep yourself out of trouble when it comes time to drop the hammer.

Never underestimate the power of intuition. If you suspect someone is stealing or is just otherwise not a good fit for your organization, you’re probably right. The pain always grows when you don’t take quick action.

Don’t feel guilty. When you let a person go, you are sending them off with a greater chance of landing in the right place. It’s a good idea to explain this to the person. You can more easily part on good terms. I’ve been fortunate over the course of 30 years in business. Many former employees have stopped by to tell me the time they spent was a good experience and thanked me for it. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a positive person in someones life, even if it came from a graceful firing.

About the Author Andrew Mazer

Andrew Mazer, Founder of Mazer Wholesale, Inc. established since 1986. In 1996, I began marketing my wholesale business online. In 2009, I began helping other business owners market THEIR business online. I am the author of The Business Owner's Guide to Marketing Online, The Groupon Solution, and The One Good Idea Newsletter. Contact me at Andrew@smallbusinessu.org

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