How to Know When to Fire an Employee

Staff turnover may be damaging to any SME’s bottom line, but problem employees inflict more havoc, which is why this week, Axis Telecoms reveals how to know when to fire an employee.

The Point of No Return

As an independent telecoms and energy supplier, who aim to bring the highest quality services to SMEs throughout the UK, Axis Telecoms knows what finding ways to save money means to small businesses with limited funds.

Which is why this week, we want to turn to the issue of problem employees. We can understand why you may be reluctant to fire a problem employee; staff turnover is expensive for any small business. However, there is a point where said employee inflicts more damage on your profit margins than staff turnover ever could.

Keep an Eye Out for the Following Five Signs

The trick is determining where that point of no return lies. You need to know what signs you should look for, to identify a problem employee. Axis Telecoms would suggest you look for the following five types of employee…

·         An Employee Who Lies: This world doesn’t place as much value on honesty as it should. An honest employee is worth their weight in gold. A dishonest employee, however, will sow discord and distrust, hampering your team’s ability to rely on each other, because they are never sure they are working with the facts. Extract the poison to ensure survival.

·         An Employee Who Doesn’t Try: We shouldn’t have to tell you what this means. If someone’s lost the will to work for you, just sever ties now. It’ll do you good, as commitment generally tends to lead to employees who care enough about the job to make sure they get it right.

·         An Employee Who Can’t Work as a Team: No man is an island, and no business can make it without teamwork. Teamwork brings the benefits of collaboration and discussion. If an employee consistently shows that they can’t work as a part of a team, trade up for someone who will.

·         An Employee Who’s Always Late: If they’re late once or twice, put it down to human error. If they’re late a lot more than that, that’s a lot of money you’re wasting on time they’re not doing any work. That money could be more effectively spent on someone who’ll work all the hours you pay them for.

·         An Employee with Distractive Behaviour: Does your employee gossip every minute of the day? Do they start arguments, or talk so loudly other people can’t concentrate? Those employees are preventing everyone from working, so you need to fire them to facilitate the proper working environment.

Fire an Employee Only as a Last Resort

In finishing this blog post, Axis Telecoms would like to remind you that you need to take great care when deciding whether to fire a member of staff. Always try to find another resolution to the issue at hand, to ensure the cost-effect of staff turnover doesn’t deplete your profit margins. Yet if no solution can be found, fire them for the sake of the profitability of your small business.