Keeping Your Company Healthy Through Your Hiring and Firing

A solid group of hardworking employees is the backbone of any successful company, but it isn't always easy to find or keep a staff that consistently does their best. There are always a few stragglers who don't want to go along with policies concerning performance expectations and attendance. Unfortunately, this means that when they are fired, new people have to be hired to take their place, and this causes a disruption in the flow of day-to-day company operations and can take a pull on your profits. Luckily, there are some ways you can make the transition easier on your employees and the company as a whole.

Prepare Ahead of Time

If an employee has been given several chances to improve, then don't hold off on giving them a pink slip. It will only make things worse if you keep giving them chances to improve and they don’t follow through. It is important you have a person hired to take their place before they are fired if possible. If you can't find anyone on such short notice, divide out that person's responsibilities between other employees who can take them on. 

Have Better Hiring Practices

To guarantee you won't get another unreliable employee, you have to be choosier about who you give jobs to. Ask for references from the potential employee's past coworkers, and consider doing a person lookup background check to be sure they really have the experience they say they have. Also, don't be afraid to do more than one interview to check for the consistency of their statements. One of the interviews should be with several of the employees that will be working with them, since they can ask questions that you might not have thought of. This will help to ensure each potential employee is a good fit with the others too.

Keep Communication Lines Open

One of the most important things to do when an employee is fired or replaced with someone new, is to talk to the other employees about the situation. Don't cover it up or hide information. This will allow them to ask questions and get reassurance that they will still have stability in their jobs. No personal information about the situation has to be revealed. It is best to redirect all conversations about the situation towards how everyone can best deal with the changes through cooperation. 

Remember, there is going to be a period of shock and mourning that your employees are going to be dealing with from the loss of one of their coworkers. Be patient with the time it takes them to adjust to these changes.