How to Keep Your Cool When Dismissing Staff
Whether you are a fan of the fan, an ice cold drink, or tactical use of a paddling pool, we are all trying different methods to reduce our temperature during the hottest June on record. Even at work we all have different methods for “keeping our cool” when dealing with difficult situations.
A situation which is always difficult is the dismissal of a member of staff or contractor. We have previously blogged about the circumstances when you can lawfully dismiss employees and contractors, and what circumstances would land you in hot water, but it is also useful to have some practical tips for dismissals generally to make the whole process run more smoothly.
- Have regular appraisals with internal employees and give an honest assessment of their performance. Prevention is better than cure and if issues can be tackled early, this could avoid the dismissal entirely
- If you have one, involve your HR department. If you don’t, there are a number of companies that can provide sector-specific advice and guidance.
- Keep written notes of all conversations and meetings concerning the employee. If it isn’t written down, how can you prove it was said?
- If a disciplinary is to be held, employees have the right to be accompanied by a trade union representative or colleague.
- Be careful about dismissing without notice in situations where you want to enforce restrictive covenants. It is often tactically sensible to pay a notice period than risk an employee leaving and sharing information with a competitor.
Remember, TBOS agencies can speak to a member of our team before deciding to dismiss a staff member or contractor and TBOS can then ensure that the correct procedures are in place for their final pay. To discuss a dismissal or if you think TBOS can help your agency, call us on 0845 881 1112.