Business: Firing someone without resentment

Firing someone without resentment

Written by Julie-Ann Amos

Firing someone is always going to be thankless task, rife with stress and a fraying of nerves. Here are some ways in which resentment and conflict can be minimised throughout this difficult process Firing, sacking, letting go or terminating people is unpleasant. There are ways to minimise resentment, but why bother? Because most legal action and unpleasantness stems from dissatisfaction/resentment about repparttar

way things were handled - about how rather than what happened. Dismissal can be unfair because of repparttar 138267

reason, or repparttar 138268

way it was done, so you need to be extremely careful. In repparttar 138269

law regarding employer-employee relationships, fairness is key. You must be fair, and be seen to be fair. But fairness, like beauty, is in repparttar 138270

eye of

beholder - after being terminated, very few people have clear vision!

Prepare a disciplinary process/policy given to all, with a sequence of verbal then written warnings ending with dismissal. Ensure processes allow for discipline/termination on grounds of both performance (capability) and attitude (conduct). Specify your right to instantly dismiss someone (summary dismissal) for gross misconduct, and give guidance on what would constitute this.

Have hard evidence to back up all decisions. Documentation of poor conduct and/or capability is essential. You have to follow your own process to avoid legal unfairness. Negative appraisals/reviews make good evidence.

Never take decisions lightly - weak performance can sometimes be improved by skilled intervention/support. Termination is traumatic/demotivating for surviving staff, even when they understand why.

Avoid surprises by giving every opportunity for improvement before opting to terminate. This reduces grounds for legal action. Plus, survivors feel less threatened if they see you are fair. Employees who have been aware for some time there is a problem are usually less traumatised, and may already be looking elsewhere. Always avoid firing someone who has no idea its a possibility, except for summary dismissal.

Managing Meetings

Written by Julie-Ann Amos

Meetings are an essential part of business life but can also be time consuming and sometimes unproductive. Here is some advice on how to run a more productive meeting and achieve set objectives.

Plan/prepare - lack of purpose causes aimless meetings. Know why you're there - what repparttar meeting is for.

Unnecessary meetings waste time, and regular meetings, e.g. weekly, become habitual/traditional, regardless of need. Only have meetings when necessary, and cancel when not.

Set agendas which are more than a list of headings without explanation. Each agenda item can have only three reasons for inclusion - to discuss, decide, or inform. Adding short descriptions of items can help people prepare and decide attendance.

Choose an appropriate order. Most important first encourages punctuality. Leave less important items to repparttar 138266 end - if necessary they can be postponed/abandoned. Putting them last discourages taking too much time on them.

Attendance needs managing - absence can cause delays, and lead to fruitless discussion. Check important people are attending, and make judgement calls to cancel/reschedule if not. Consider phoning for input during meetings if people can't physically attend, or get briefed beforehand.

Poor timekeeping is rude, disrespectful and a waste of time. If not dealt with, it becomes acceptable, and things usually get worse. Very few meetings have an end-time. Why? Try to give an end-time - it allows people to plan adequately. Otherwise people assume meetings will always be an hour.

Too many people are hard to control - discussions take longer! If people are only needed for some items, let them leave after them, saving everyone's time.

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