But at times there's no alternative. We're forced to let the person go. Yet it's tough to sit across the desk from an employee and tell them that they no longer have a job with us. Especially when you've worked with them for quite a while.
Yet terminating someone is never a decision we make lightly.
Usually the firing process starts long before the person is let go. If they're doing shoddy work it's brought to their attention – usually more than once. And, they're given a warning of things they can do to correct their performance.
The first warning is verbal. The next is written. Perhaps they're counseled by their supervisors and other staff members.
However if this doesn't bring about changes then the only alternative is to let the person go.
For me it's always a delicate balance in the business we're in. On the one hand we may have a counselor who is excellent with the clients. But fails miserably when it comes to doing the administrative part of the work, the boring paperwork. Yet every aspect of the job is important to maintain compliance with state regulations.
Because we want the best treatment for our clients we often have to make the hard choice to replace a staff member if we can't get them to change their job performance.
And that's the part of my job that I least enjoy.
