Slippery Rock Gazette

Sharon Koehler

Artistic Stone Design

Last month, I wrote that sometimes new employees just need time – time to get to know everyone around them, and time for all of their coworkers to get to know them, as well. Also, they need to be granted some time to get to know the policies and procedures of their new surroundings. 

Being confident that you can depend on each member of your team will work wonders for smooth production.  Artistic Stone Design’s happy pack – Front row, left to right: Craig, Alan, DeVonte’, Tony, Mike. Back row, left to right:- Jeremiah, Zach, CJ, Jimmie, Jackson​.

Unfortunately, occasionally an employee fails, in that they can’t or won’t do what you need them to do. They have had time to “get it,” and they just don’t. They have been given time to fit in, and they just can’t or won’t. In an effort help them find their best fit, they have been placed in a couple of different positions, and yet it seems hopeless.

Or maybe for whatever reason, a long-term employee takes a nosedive in work or attitude. They’ve started showing up late for work or putting out poor quality work. Maybe they have developed a bad attitude and complain about everybody and everything. They have been talked to, counseled and warned but their behavior has not improved. 

In either case, a decision must be made. All it takes is one disgruntled, unhappy or unmotivated person to bring down a smooth sailing ship. If it’s a quality of work issue, other employees are going to get tired of covering for them or get tired of complaining about them. Either way, there are going to be more disgruntled employees, because if nothing is done to change the situation, they assume no one cares. So, why should they? That’s just human nature.

If it’s an attitude issue, it’s still the same result. No one wants to engage that kind of person, so they start avoiding them. Communication hits a wall and things start to unravel. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing BECAUSE they aren’t communicating. Not good. Here again, good, faithful employees can become resentful because they feel no one is listening to their concerns or their issues with the “problem” employee. Let’s face it, a problem employee can run off good employees if left unchecked for too long. 

In these cases, it seems clear that the decision should be easy to make. But there is a third circumstance that makes the decision to let someone go a little tougher. This is a nice person that everyone likes but struggles and just can’t do the job. This person might get a few more chances because, well, everyone likes him or her, and everyone would feel awful if it didn’t work out. But as Dr. Spock and Captain Kirk often proclaim, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (or the one).” Whether we want to admit it or not, this is true. One person, left unchecked, has the capability to affect everyone around them. 

So now what? A problem has been identified and must unfortunately be dealt with, but how? Unless you or someone else witnesses something so grievous that it warrants immediate dismissal, start a process. Document problems, write it all down and start a process of removal from the business. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but it’s better than the alternative. We live in a slaphappy lawsuit society. The firing happens one day and you’re sitting in a lawyer’s office the next, defending yourself and the company you work for. 

Here are some guidelines to make the process safer and easier:

1. Document everything. Don’t rely on your memory or anyone else’s. 
   
   
2. Have someone else witness when you warn, write up or counsel an employee – never do it alone. That’s a he-said she-said nightmare just waiting to happen.
   
   
3. If you suspect drug abuse, send them for a drug test. Don’t assume it’s illegal drugs – have proof.
   
   
4. If there is more than one side to the story, get everyone’s side. If witnesses were involved, get their version of events, too.  Investigate both sides, don’t just do lip service.
   
   
5. When the decision for action is finally made, don’t do it alone. Make sure there is someone else in the room. You would be surprised how much this one action can help ease tensions. 
   One time, many years ago, before I learned this sage advice, I was in a room alone with a woman, and I  was the person tasked with terminating her employment. I was alone with her because I thought it would be less embarrassing for her. She threw everything in her pockets at me – a two-way radio, a box cutter, a cell phone, pens, pencils, you name it — boy, it all came at me! She was picking stuff up off the desk and throwing it at me as I was trying to get out the door! Lesson learned.
   
   
6. Be prepared for some fallout. Usually it’s just the unemployment office contacting you to set up a  phone interview on the subject. And, more than likely, unless you caught them red-handed stealing money out of the cash register, they will get their unemployment. But it can be worse. I have seen scorned employees call the labor board — and what might possibly be worse, they  could call OSHA. Even if you have dotted all your I’s and crossed all your T’s, investigations by either one of those entities is laborious and time consuming. Normally, things don’t go that far, but I have seen it happen. 
   
   
7. Be up front with other employees. Tell them what has happened and why. The office rumor mill is truly faster than the speed of light.  Keeping everybody on the same page is just easier than dealing with rumor and speculation.
   
   
8. Be very careful what you say to people who call for a job reference. Laws are very clear about what can and can’t be said. Stick to the tried and true line that the person is not eligible for rehire. Don’t embellish or give details. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. 
   
   
9. When the deed is done, don’t feel too bad at your part in it (whatever that was). Regrettably,   these things do happen from time to time. It’s just a part of business. Not everyone is suited for every position or company.
   
   
10. When it’s over, watch what happens. The company I work for had to terminate someone not too long ago. On the third day after the dismissal, someone walked down the hallway and said “Wow, the air just feels lighter in here.” They were right, all the tension was gone. No one was on guard or trying to avoid anyone. Everything went back to normal.  
    
    

The moral of the story is, “Give everyone a fair chance. But if it isn’t working out, do what you have to do and put everyone out of their misery.” It’s better in the long run.

Sharon Koehler is a 10-year veteran of the stone industry and currently head of marketing for ArtisticStone Design in Richmond, Virginia. She has been a regular contributor to various trade magazines for several years. Please send your thoughts on this article to sharon@artisticstonerichmond.com.