The fact that an employee isn't performing according to your expectations may not be his problem, but yours. Every time you are tempted to let someone go, use it as an opportunity to look in the mirror and learn. Somehow you either hired or promoted someone who failed to perform up to expectations. You should ask yourself: how did this happen and how can I keep it from happening again?

Here are some questions an employer should ask before letting an employee go.

1. Does the employee know what he's supposed to be doing?
This is the first question to ask when an employee is not performing up to expectations. Leaders often think they have been clear in setting performance expectations when, in fact, they have not. Telling someone what to do is not enough. The only way you can be sure an employee knows what you expect is when they clearly state in their own words what your performance expectations for them are, and clearly state how they will be measured. Often this is where the problem lies, so make sure to check this box off before you do anything else.

2. Does this person have the skills and tools to do the job?
Maybe your employee knows what is expected, but lack the skills to do the job. In that case, make sure you provide the right tools and training (soft skills or technical) to help him get the job done. If you don’t have the time or budget to provide such training, make sure you do a thorough job up front to match a person’s skills and abilities to the demands of the job. Asking a person to perform a job where they lack the necessary tools is poor leadership.

3. Is this a motivation problem, and can I fix it?
Providing training to help an employee improve is doable, but when an employee has completely "checked out", there may be nothing left to fix. Even the best training can’t repair an unmotivated, disengaged employee. So before cutting them loose, determine if this is a fixable situation.

4. Is there a problem with the hiring process?
Sometimes we blame the person when we should be looking at the process. You rather should take a closer look at your hiring practices, rethink candidates based on their talents and skills rather than their job titles, consider past accomplishments regardless of current circumstances and make improvements in selection methodologies to find the best candidates.

5. How good is my on-boarding process?
When you bring people into the organization, do you orient them to the culture and the way things are done, or expect them to figure it out on their own? Do you tell them who they can approach if they have questions, or give them a process to follow when they are not sure what to do? You can save a lot of time and money by giving newer employees the support they need to be successful and productive from day one, as against them wasting time and energy trying to figure out ‘how things work around here.'

6. Are my expectations too high?
Before you hired the person you are now ready to fire, you had an expectation in mind. Was it realistic? Did you hire someone thinking they would be a clone of yourself? Perhaps you set the bar so high that no one could clear it, and now you’re acting out of frustration. You are advised to revisit your initial expectations. Remind yourself that the replacement employee is not going to be you, either. Continue reading here >>> Source

In case. I'll read later.

dat5starguy:
In case. I'll read later.

me too

ON POINT