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.
When
should you fire employee?
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