Most employers use only three choices when it comes to dealing with problem employees: oral warning, written warning (as in, “I’m writing you up!”) and firing.
But there’s a better approach. Arm yourself and all managers and supervisors with a progressive discipline procedure – including seven choices.
Give employees written warnings before firing them for performance problems. These warnings are your good friends. They help convince an unemployment hearing officer your decision to discharge was for good cause.
But does the language in these warnings give you enough flexibility to fire troublesome employees? Here’s how a written warning might get you into trouble.
Disciplining an employee isn’t limited to the traditional three choices: verbal warning, written warning, and firing. When you must deal with a difficult employee, you need to give yourself the flexibility of these six choices:
