Discipline & Termination

After a bad hire, be prepared to fire

October 1, 2009
No one likes to talk about firing people. It’s traumatic for all involved. But many managers confess that they have not terminated poor performers soon enough.

Climb over the noncompliance hump

October 1, 2009
Your employee, Jason, exhibits strong performance in most areas. But he neglects one of his key job duties. How can you avoid terminating him without letting him off the hook?

Dealing with a dithering supervisor

June 1, 2009
You manage a supervisor, Ray, who dislikes making hard decisions. When faced with a tough personnel situation, he tends to dither and talk through his options endlessly with you …

Discipline with an eye on change

August 1, 2008
Are you unhappy with an employee’s sloppy performance? The problem probably won’t take care of itself, so you need to raise your concerns.

Pave the road to termination

May 1, 2008
The prospect of terminating an employee may keep you up at night, but you’ll rest easier if you lay the groundwork to ensure your policy provides flexibility and clarity about your right to fire.

The aftershocks of a bad hire

April 1, 2008
About one year ago, you hired Jim with high hopes. After a grueling search, you decided that he could plug a hard-to-fill hole in your company. You were thrilled.

Nasty words in the *#!$% workplace

October 1, 2007
Many of us work in places where harsh language is common, but we also know that it’s possible for the foul-mouthed to get in trouble.

Did you screw up? And what do you do now?

June 1, 2007
You’ve just disciplined an employee for violating a clear-cut policy … or so you thought.

What to do with tardy employees

March 1, 2007

Dealing with an employee who’s often a little late for work can be frustrating. It’s one of those small, nagging problems that can take more time and energy to correct than it seems worth.

When you have to fire someone

February 1, 2007
It’s a topic of perennial interest to managers everywhere: When and how do I go about terminating someone?