Whenever I find myself distressed with an employee, the following provides positive guidance.

Reasons For Problems With Employees

1. Lack of direction.
2. Ambiguous understanding of expectations.
3. Not enough workload.
4. Receiving little feedback or recognition.
5. Lacks faith in ability to do job.
6. Personal problems.
7. Poor training.
8. Is not motivated to do a good job.
9. Incompetence.
10. Lousy tools

Steps To Disciplining an Employee

1. Discipline privately.
2. Review QQT Expectation Formula.
3. Specify Performance Standards.
4. Agree on problem.
5. Agree on solution.
6. End meeting positively.
7. Follow up on a daily or hourly basis and stick to expectations.

How & When to Fire

1. Never fire while angry.
2. Before firing, ask yourself, “Knowing what I know now, would I hire this person again?”
3.  Release people who are:
   • Closed minded
   • Inflexible
   • Gossips, meddlers, and agitators.
   • Irresponsible.
   • Pessimistic.
   • Lazy and unconcerned.
4. Decide on severance and outplacement.
5. When meeting privately, repeatedly explain that the job does not seem right for them and you believe they’d be happy somewhere else.
6. Ask for resignation. Be final.
7. If person becomes hostile, have them removed from premises immediately.
8. Do not argue.
9. Provide a letter of reference.