Why you MUST counsel and, possibly, terminate a problem
employee
A problem employee can damage your business in many ways. He
or she can slow down production, cause other employees to become
disgruntled, be a safety hazard, or even cause legal troubles.
Therefore, it is important for you to either get a problem employee
in shape or to terminate him or her before it leads to more problems.
Having Production Slowed by a Problem Employee
You may not realize it, but a problem employee can significantly
slow down production. For example, if the problem employee is
routinely late arriving to work, production may cease altogether
as the other workers wait for the employee to arrive. Or, even
if production continues, it may slow down as a less skilled worker
tries to take over. The same is true for an employee who purposely
works slowly, who abuses break privileges, or who simply doesn’t
pay attention to his or her job and makes too many mistakes.
Causing Other Employees to Become Disgruntled Because of a Problem
Employee
If you do not take action against the problem employee, this
person can quickly and easily cause your other employees to become
disgruntled. First, your other employees may believe you are
discriminating against them when you come down on them and do
not come down on the problem employee. And, by allowing the problem
employee to get away with his or her behavior, you are setting
a precedent that tells your other employees it is OK to behave
in a problematic way. Before you know it, you will have an entire
crew of problem employees rather than just one!
Experiencing Safety Hazards Because of a Problem Employee
A problem employee can easily be a safety hazard for your other
employees as well as for him or herself. If the problem employee
is negligent, for example, he or she may not properly follow
safety procedures. Even a chronically late problem employee can
cause safety problems as other employees try to pick up the slack
or to speed up and catch up on production when the employee finally
makes it in.
Experiencing Legal Problems Because of a Problem Employee
A problem employee puts you at an increased risk of experiencing
legal problems. Other employees may file suit against you for
failure to act on the problems you are having with the employee.
If the employee is harassing other employees, for example, a
court can find you guilty of failing to discipline the employee
for his or her actions. In addition, if the problem employee
is violating safety procedures and hurts someone, a court will
find you liable.
So, while it may be difficult to fire an employee, particularly
if you have formed a relationship with that person, you must
consider your business and your other employees. Do what is right
and remove the problem employee from your workforce before you
are sorry you didn’t.
How
the problem employee may be destroying your business...
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