Who really likes talking about employee terminations? Certainly not employees at risk for losing their jobs, nor their managers who have to deliver the bad news. And as we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution will tell you, even in the Human Resources world, employee terminations aren’t among our most enjoyable duties, but they are among our most important.

Terminations can strengthen both the terminated employee and the terminating employer, although it may not be obvious at first glance. Terminations carry a stigma because the employment relationship failed so miserably, the only recourse was to end it. But is that the real story? With every ending comes a new beginning, and an opportunity to build a stronger team.

To help the team operate at its best, it’s time to let go of an employee who . . .

• Isn’t performing to standard. Sometimes a new employee just isn’t cut out for a job because they lack the skills or abilities to perform the basics. When this is the case, no amount of coaching or patience is going to make the employee “right” for the position. So if a subpar performance does not improve with training, feedback, and a little time, consider the options. The best choice for both employee and employer may be to acknowledge the poor fit and to end the relationship early. An employee released during the first few months will have an easier time explaining a poor fit to future employment prospects, and the employer can quickly turn its resources to hiring a better fit for the position.
• Doesn’t fit the company culture. Diversity is a great thing, but when it goes against the groove of an organization, it can be devastating. We’re not talking about the employee eating alone in the lunchroom; we’re talking about the employee who doesn’t share the basic values of the workplace. For example, in a workplace that values honesty in customer service, an employee who will say or do anything to make a sale is not doing any favors for employee morale or the company’s reputation. Most new employees will quickly show how they gel with the company’s culture, and it may be best to quickly let go of an egregious fit.
• Doesn’t fulfill obligations. A successful workplace relies on employees to do their jobs correctly and timely; it’s like a building-block tower of employee dependability. Whether it’s arriving late to work, skipping meetings, or missing deadlines, when one employee falters, the whole tower wobbles. An employee’s failure to fulfill obligations can blindside management, let down the team, and harm productivity—it can even lead to large, unfixable problems. If the failure to fulfill obligations stems from the employee’s poor communication skills or poor time management skills (as opposed to a position that is so intense, it sets up the employee for failure), it may be time to find someone more dependable.
• Behaves unethically. It should go without saying that an employee who lies, mistreats coworkers, accepts bribes or inappropriate gifts, or otherwise behaves without integrity is not a good fit for any organization. What good is an employee that cannot be trusted, and whose continued employment risks poisoning the well? Unlike the other causes for termination, this cause needs no opportunity for remediation. Untrustworthy, unethical behaviors should result in prompt termination. To do so demonstrates care for the integrity of the organization, its culture, and its employees.