Go ahead and fire that difficult employee,no talent is irreplac

• Posted by GAFM AFRICA January 26, 2018 - Filed in Business - #  ##hr #humanresources #digitalhr #digitalmigration  - 860 views

  About two years ago,we worked with an owner who wanted to fire a difficult employee,but felt that he couldn't.The employee was the only person in his company who knew how to perform some key parts of the production process.

  The business owner said he felt like a hostage,even as this important employee continued to act out and disrupt the workplace.The situation came to a head when the employee cursed at the employer and told him off in front of other employees.The employer had to take action.

  Obviously,business owners cannot let an employee be publicly disrespectful.That undermines the owner's ability to manage,and will almost certainly lead to further incidents of bad behavior.

  While our example is particularly dramatic,this situation happens more often than you think.We have worked with several employers who have hesitated to discipline or terminate employees who had a valuable skill set they feared losing.And our advice when employers find themselves with a disrespectful or disruptive employee is always the same:Act on the behavior regardless of the employee's value.

  If this means termination-so be it.The route may not be easy,but everyone is replaceble.

  Use short-term coverage tactics:

  What have you done when the problem employee is on vacation or out sick?Use those same tactics to cover for your employee once he or she is gone.This may not be a long term solution,but it will buy you some time.

  Throw resources at the problem.Can you or someone in your organization figure out how to do the job?Mastering the task may initially take twice as long as usual,but it can be done.Working nights and weekends or paying overtime  for a few weeks may not be desirable,but it will help you bridge the gap.

  Enlist former employees: 

  If someone else in your organization has done this job before,the answer is self-evident.Do whatever it takes to get this person to train you or another employee.Again this option may mean someone working nights and weekends.It may mean paying twice the normal rate for a while.But this path is worth it if it solves your dilemma.

  Find someone with the same skill set:

  Chances are,the problem employee is not the only person in the world with skill set.Do other companies use the same equipment or software? At a minimum,hire a consultant who can teach you or another employee how to do the job.Again,even if you have to work off-hours and pay high pries,the money is well spent.

  Approach vendors for help:

  If the problem involves operating a specific piece of equipment or software,approach the company that sold it to you.The vendor may be able to train you.You might also be able to hire one of the vendor's employee to train the replacement.At a minimum,the vendor can point you in the right direction of someone who can do the job.

  Once you have the solved the short-term problem,don't repeat the mistake.