How to Fire Bad Employees |

[@AccountingEmail-r5f]

YESSSSSSSSSSS Galen! Thank you for this super clear outline. Nailed it! Yes, this is a difficult situation, but being open, honest and communicating clearly is key.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

It IS key, 100%!

[@joekissick5449]

Great thoughts about the number one most difficult conversation. I don't know why so many leaders avoid the truth. It really does not make it easier for anyone. Be truthful, be clear, be kind, be done. Thank you Galen.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

It does make it harder, but no surprise that the conversations get avoided. It's really hard for both parties:)

[@lynnschreiber6123]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been involved with the specific scenario of someone being let go and the org breathing a sigh of relief. While it was hard to see the person go, it was a benefit to the team.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

Super hard, but when it's the right thing orgs and leaders have to do it 😊

[@loudspeaker76]

I need more thumbs up to give this video! Thank you so very much Galen!!!

[@benjamingettinger233]

I added another one for you :)

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

Glad you dig it! 😊

[@KamranChoudhary-up7jw]

On behalf of the HR folks in the back, thank you!

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

🙌🙌

[@marnieclarke]

Fantastic. Music to my ears!!

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

Thanks Marnie:)

[@briscreationsmd]

Love this advice, thank you. If someone is miserable at work yet not really breaking any "rules" how do you document that? Fyi I tried bringing to their attention that their negativity was impacting those around them, and I got a super defensive answer with no responsibility acknowledged or change made.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

An excellent question and tough to answer in a quick comment but I'll do my best:) #1) The more specific you are in the feedback and documenting the better. Name the exact, specific behavior with crystal clarity. Can be tough because often it's very nuanced and because often problematic behavior/people can be subtle. It's helpful if you can tie back to company values or any wording that exists around culture. #2) This situation is precisely why it's important to have a clearly defined culture of behaviors that articulates exactly the ground rules of what is acceptable or not in terms of how people show up, treat other people, and approach their work. All the way down to how you receive and respond to feedback. Most organizations do not have this in place which is why these situations are so massively difficult to address. A sentence inside a document that says "We take responsibility for our words, behavior, attitudes, and how we impact others in order to create a positive, cohesive, healthy team environment." Makes situations like yours much easier to discuss and document when people act out of alignment with it. Clearly defined behaviors are the key to culture. It's the heart of my work.

[@benjamingettinger233]

Concise and ideal! I've gone through this like 3 times. All ended with termination. I'm in the middle of one now (just delivered the message you described) and we're about to find out if it's going to work. I told the leadership team, "we want to sleep at night, so we're going to give this our full support." It's feeling close to the expiration date, so our timeframe is 1 week. Do you have any advice for if/when the person shapes up for a month and then goes back to the same bad behavior? I've been asked, "so if I slip up ONCE are you going to fire me?" I recognize this as a bit of a manipulation, but it raises a good question. At what point then can I say it didn't work?

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

It's a really great question, and also I know that there are specifics and nuance about this situation that I can't possibly know so I'll do my best to answer taking that in mind. My short answer is actually yes. After the conversation has been had two or three times very specifically that if it doesn't stop they'll lose their job, then yes, they need to understand that if this happens again whether it's this week or a month from now that's the consequence. I think adding the clarity that this is a final warning about that specific thing, which means that we will not have two or three more conversations about this, and they need to understand that this specific thing cannot happen and if it does that is the result. I realize that the severity or context of that is different if it's I showed up five minutes late to work vs I was spreading gossip about people. My belief is that they need to understand that they have to take full responsibility that it's the last time this conversation is going to happen.

[@benjamingettinger233]

That’s helpful, thanks!!

[@intuitiveavtechnologyadvis8310]

Thanks I needed to hear this advice today!

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

You're welcome, glad you dig it!

[@dominiquedoeslife]

Let’s keep in mind that employees need the tools to get things done, so if the boss isn’t showing up on their end of the spectrum and making sure employees have training, access, and that any disabilities or neurodivergencies are being understood and acknowledged, it’s likely that employee has been perhaps unintentionally set up to fail. You can tout accountability on the side of employees til the cows come home, but that is a two way street-not suggesting you’re saying otherwise, just adding in my two cents as someone who has been both an employer and an employee who also happens to have a disability and be neurodivergent.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

100% agree with you! Leaders need to be highly skilled and doing everything they can to support and set employees up for success 🤘

[@dominiquedoeslife]

@@GalenEmanueleShiftYes Hey, thank you for the validation and acknowledgment. Appreciate your nuanced take on HR style content. It’s been really helpful to me, getting back into being an employee in corporate cybersecurity again.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

@@dominiquedoeslifeAwesome, love to hear that and thank you:)

[@alland4057]

Unfortunately, I believe most managers are going to tune out the first parts of this video and skip right to the end, which is how to actually fire the person. After many years as an executive, I've learned the problem is more often the manager that made the poor hiring decision and trained the employee in the first place. Management training in most businesses is abysmal, if not absent.

[@GalenEmanueleShiftYes]

Yep, I agree that's very common, and unfortunate. Poor leadership and terrible middle level management in companies is absolutely cancer to companies and culture. There are lots of great leaders, but it's not a majority.