Firing staffers for inadequate performance can be painful, but necessary step

The last thing any executive wants to tell an employee is "you're fired," but hesitation can be a mistake.

In the world of associations, where a high percentage of groups employ only a handful of staff, one poor performer can drag down an entire operation, reflecting badly on the whole organization and alienating members. So, say management experts, if termination is needed, the question is how to go about it in a way that avoids trouble down the road.

And, yes, there are steps executives can take that leave fired employees, if not happy, at least satisfied.

"I have terminated people and later they have come back to me and said ‘I think it was the best thing to ever happen to me,'" said executive coach Pegotty Cooper of Career Strategy Roadmap.

Clear expectations

The path to relatively pain-free job termination starts as soon as an employee is hired.

When you begin to build a relationship with an employee, you want to be clear about that person's career goals, said Cooper, who spent 10 years as director of special interest group services at the Association for Computing Machinery. Do those goals align with the organization, so the employee has something at stake in its success? And are you building a foundation from which to speak frankly about performance?

"When you build that foundation of trust, you can say these things," she said.

Too often employers wait until there is a problem to start talking about what is expected, said Diane Rodgers, senior human resources operations manager for CBIZ Human Capital Services. A good place to
start is to spell out those expectations in an employee handbook.

"Once you lay that groundwork, it becomes much easier down the road," she said. "If somebody is not meeting expectations … it is much easier to take action at that point."

Document performance

Many organizations conduct at least annual performance reviews of employees. Problem is, according to Robert Skelton, chief administrative officer at ASAE, a lot of folks are easy graders.

"I can tell you in every single organization where I have worked, the first things you look at are the performance reviews and they are glowing," he said. "They walk on water."

Organizations should document the employee's performance problems, according to attorney Art Herold of Webster, Chamberlain & Bean. And many will give the person a chance to improve. Still, there is nothing in law that requires progressive discipline, just as there is nothing preventing that employee from filing a wrongful termination claim despite the steps an employer has taken.

"Basically our general advice is if the employee is not performing his job, the employer has the right to terminate and not keep that employee out of fear of a suit or a claim being filed," Herold said.

As far as consulting legal counsel before firing someone, the experts interviewed by CEO Update had mixed opinions about whether that was a necessary step.

"That depends on [an association's risk] tolerance," Rodgers said. If an organization is "absolutely, positively not comfortable with risk, they might be inclined to do that."

Be human

Executive coach Tom Pierce of Pierce Management Development said association executives should keep three words in mind when confronting an employee they are about to terminate: empathy, respect and clarity.

"This is not the time to be holier than thou," he said. "You are radically changing a person's life and you need to understand this is a tough meeting."

But it is also not a time to change your mind, Pierce added. Once the decision to fire an employee has been made, it is not time to talk about why they were let go or to rehash performance issues. "Just be crystal clear about what the deal is," he said.

Maintain dignity

The meeting in which you break the news should be short and to the point, according to Skelton. Yet remember to treat the person on the receiving end with dignity and respect.

"You hired them for a reason," he said. "You thought they were the right person. It just didn't work out."

A fired employee should not be escorted out of the building unless they are a threat, Skelton said. Also, be mindful of the time. Terminations are best conducted when other employees are not around, such as late in the day, to save the person the embarrassment of having to face his or her colleagues.

The same holds true for letting an employee clean out a desk: Offer to let the person back and collect his or her items at a later date, when the offices are empty.

Some sort of severance package could also be helpful, if the association can afford it, he said. Even if severance is not deserved, it is taking the high road and helps smooth the transition for everyone involved, executive and fired staffer.

"It gives a little more dignity to the process," he said.