Navigating a Tough Spot: How to Handle Termination for Non-Performance When It's Personal

Dear Expert,

My Director has informed me that he is not satisfied with the job performance of our AM-Marketing, who joined us 2 months ago. Now, my boss wants me to create an environment that will make it easy for us to terminate this individual on grounds of nonperformance. My boss has been in a meeting abroad and will be back this evening. Please advise on how to handle this situation. Additionally, this individual is a friend of mine. If you have any templates or suggestions for this matter, please reply urgently.

Confused HR

If the guy is your friend, then tell him clearly that the boss is not happy with his performance and very soon he will receive his letter. As a good friend, first advise your friend and give him some time to search for another job. When he gets another job, he can resign. So, first inform your friend about it. And don't be in a hurry to issue direct termination letters and other things. OK

Dear,

To terminate your AM Mkt is very easy in this case when he is only on probation period. Just give him a termination letter stating that "Your performance is not up to the standard of our company, and you could not satisfy management with your performance."

The second option is to give him one month's notice to search for a job, and then after one month, he will be automatically terminated. But if you want to act in the best interest of the company, then the first option is better.

Regards,

Sagheer Ahmed
Niagara Mills Pvt Limited
Faisalabad, Pakistan
Email: hafizsaghir@gmail.com

Adding to others' point, you can also put him in an action plan for a week or two. This will help in maintaining formal documentation. Additionally, the candidate will understand that things are not in place. He will start his mental preparation in terms of looking out for a job. I hope this helps you.

Certainly! Here is the revised version of the user's input with corrected spelling, grammar, and proper paragraph formatting:

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Straightforwardly, on the grounds of his non-performance and failure to meet benchmarks, draft a letter addressing the issue. Furthermore, please allow him one month to search for a new job.

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I hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Hi, Boss, expecting a person to deliver within a two-month time frame is not justified. One has to assess where things have gone wrong or if it's a case of wrong placement, and who should be held accountable for it? I believe before making a decision on termination, you should communicate with the individual and clarify the company's expectations from them.

Thanks, Sunil

Hi,

I feel this is a highly unfair situation. Firstly, two months is a very short time for evaluating one's performance, and creating an environment to pressure someone to leave an organization is unprofessional. It is always good to communicate the Key Result Areas (KRAs) in advance, provide a clear timeframe, and clearly state that if the expected business value is not met, the employee will need to exit the organization within the following month. Targets should be set realistically, considering the economic downturn. It is important to have an open discussion with your boss. This approach will instill seriousness, allow the employee time to prepare for a job search, build trust, maintain professionalism, and create a comfortable atmosphere within the company.

Regards,
Kavita U.

Hello team member,

For non-performance, you need to prove that his/her performance is not up to the expected level.

Hi,

As discussed above, I feel that two months is a very short amount of time to evaluate an employee. Since you have mentioned that the employee is your friend, please make it very clear to him that he needs to improve on his shortcomings at any cost in order to stay in the company. At the same time, ask your director for some more time (a couple of months more) so that the employee can prove his worth.

After a stipulated time, if he still does not show any improvement, he can be terminated with one month's notice (to enable him to find a job) or one month's salary (so that he can meet his expenses in the meantime before getting another job).

Regards,
Debashish Pal

There has to be justifiable evidence that the person has not met the expected criteria set for him.

2 months is really a short span when we are talking about freshers in terms of deliverance. However, when it comes to experienced people hired by the organization, it is natural that expectations would be high and instant results are sought.

In the given situation, the best course of action, in my opinion, would be to issue a show cause notice mentioning the "Not meeting the criteria" and the expected targets to be met. This notice should also include a reasonable timeline, and if the targets are not met during the probationary period, the company can terminate the employee's services as per the rules and regulations defined in the policy, or provide a 10-day formal notice.

Discuss with the management and persuade them to give the employee a fair chance. If, even after that, the performance level does not improve and the management remains unsatisfied, you can ask the employee to leave.

As an HR person, you need to justify actions for both the employee and the employer. Strive to analyze and work out the best solution for a win-win situation.

All the best.

Regards,

Hi,

Just relax, talk to your friend clearly, and make him aware of the situation. Now, talk to your boss about his performance. Give him all the details and please mention a time to check his performance. After that time, you speak to your friend and make things clear once his performance is evaluated.

Suresh

Dear,

In my opinion, there can be two solutions to your problem.

Being an HR professional, you can engage in employee advocacy (highlighting the positive side of an employee to your management).

Since this person has just completed two months, one opportunity can be given after obtaining consent from management.

Another solution is to conduct a one-on-one meeting with the employee. Discuss his performance issues and take appropriate action based on his conduct during the meeting.

Attempt to explore options for improving his effectiveness. In cases where the meeting is not productive, consider requesting his resignation on the spot and provide assistance with outplacement.

Regards

Subhanish Malhotra
Manager HR
Arvind Ltd, Ahmedabad

Dear,

Note the following:

1. What did you mention in the offer and appointment letter? Review that. It is most important.
2. Did you ever give him any information regarding his non-performance, either formally or informally?
If yes, take his speed of improving to the expected level as the reason.
If no, do you feel that the decision to remove him by your boss is justified?
If yes, immediately tell him to improve.
If no, then ask him to submit his resignation.
3. At your level, you have to analyze the decision of your boss. If he is right, well, there is no problem in agreeing with him. If his decision is wrong, there is no harm in telling him that he is wrong, and furthermore, you can also ask him to reconsider.
4. If your boss has made up his mind to remove him, then nobody can stop it.
5. You can go through the following details of your AM Marketing: Call Average, Target Achievement, Learning aspects, Interaction with Customers, Seriousness of the job, etc.

Regards,
Saran

Dear Subuzz,

If your boss and company are not satisfied with the performance of that particular employee, instead of giving him a termination letter, you can ask him to leave the organization by resigning. I feel that a termination letter can also affect his future performance and career in the long run.

Thanks and Regards,
Shweta Nain

Hi, I don't think there is an easy way out to terminate an employee. That too, two months is too short a period to arrive at a decision to terminate.

Ask yourself a few questions:

Has the organization given the new recruit a clear opportunity to perform?
Is there clear evidence of non-performance?
If yes, is the evidence documented?
What were the reasons for non-performance? Lack of ability or attitude, cultural misfit?

Once you are convinced that the answers to these questions are positive, still you can go ahead and issue a memo giving time for the employee to improve, at least 3 months. If convinced of heavy non-performance, you can even have a salary cut during this trial period or go for deferred payment. But make sure the memo documents all the evidence and historic events of non-performance, past oral warnings, etc., and clearly states that the organization is giving a last opportunity for improvement, and if he fails to utilize it, we may not be able to support any more. I think that the slow path has to be taken, and this comes as a penalty for a bad recruitment. Of course, you can also opt to just give him the notice pay and terminate, provided you have solid proof of non-performance. But that is unethical and will not be beneficial for the organization also.

Marketing is a position that requires a minimum of 6 months probation time to be able to judge how well a person is doing - 2 months is too short a period to conclude. If, despite KRA's, expectations, etc., being delineated, and the requisite knowledge, skills, and training to do the job being imparted, the employee is still not performing... then may I suggest that you involve the Employee Assistance Program in your company (if you have one), as they would be able to assess whether the individual has any psychological/emotional issues that are preventing him from performing - and if so, receiving regular coaching on handling these issues more effectively would form an integral part of a holistic development plan for improving the employee's performance.

Dear Friend,

This is a very unprofessional practice. You should provide him with his goals for probation at the time of joining, and two months is too short a period to measure his performance. Share your boss's expectations and desires towards your friend with him. Also, discuss the notice period and the potential impact on existing employees and the company environment with your boss.

Regards,
Ravi

Hi All,

Very interesting discussion.

1) When was he appointed?

2) What is his job role?

3) Who is his immediate superior?

4) What was his previous experience?

5) Who interviewed him?

6) On what basis was his selection done?

7) What made you decide on his termination?

8) How was his performance measured?

9) On what basis is he termed a non-performer?

10) What is his KRA?

11) How was his induction?

12) Was any training required for the particular position?

13) Was any training given to him?

14) On what basis was the two months decided to define his performance?

15) Was any oral warning given to him?

16) Was any written warning given to him followed by an oral warning?

17) Why does the word "friend" come into play in a professional career?

Answer all the above questions, and you will surely get an answer to your query.

Regards/MPMS

Hi,

As per the Employment Protection Act, termination on the grounds of non-performance is not permissible. If this issue has persisted for a considerable period, further consideration should be given. Since the individual in question joined just two months ago, termination based on non-performance would not be appropriate. It would be advisable to discuss the situation with the employee and encourage them to submit their resignation voluntarily. As an HR professional, you should leverage your skills to facilitate the resignation process. Additionally, ensure to provide a one-month notice period to allow the individual time to seek alternative employment opportunities.

Thank you.

Hi,

My Director has informed me that he is not satisfied with the job performance of our AM-Marketing, this guy joined us 2 months back. Now my boss wants me to create an environment which will make it easy for us to terminate this guy on nonperformance grounds. My boss was in a meeting abroad and will be back today evening. Please advise on how to handle this case. This guy is a friend of mine as well. If you have any formats or suggestions on this, please reply urgently.

Confused HR

There can't be any mathematical solution to such issues. One needs to know the actual issue. Non-performance and failure to produce results can't be a subjective analysis. Unless the person is hopeless and unlikely to improve, then HR and domain experts have to review their recruitment process. If he is unable to match the expectations of a given position, see if you can gainfully utilize his services elsewhere, even in a lower designation if a vacancy exists. If the individual is unwilling, give him the options and no shock treatment, please.

Hi,

Simple termination, either with one month's notice or in lieu of notice, can be done by paying one month's salary. When such termination is challenged before any legal forum, there is a need to be in a position to substantiate it. It is thus required to build up a proper record to show that sufficient opportunities, such as one or two letters in writing fixing the targets that assess his performance, were given but the employee did not reach the expected levels.

Before taking action on this matter, it is advisable to verify the terms of appointment and proceed accordingly.

Regards,
Prakash K

Dear Subuzz,

My Director has informed me that he is not satisfied with the job performance of our AM-Marketing, who joined us 2 months back. Now, my boss wants me to create an environment that will make it easy for us to terminate this individual on grounds of nonperformance. My boss was in a meeting abroad and will be back this evening. Please advise on how to handle this situation. This individual is also a friend of mine. If you have any formats or suggestions, please reply urgently.

Confused HR

Dear Friend,

Considering that the incumbent is still on probation, termination should not be a huge challenge. However, from an HR perspective, it is essential that you set the right tone in your workplace, ensuring that actions like these do not damage overall employee morale.

Consider the following scenarios:

Case I: Expectations were set when the employee joined.
Suggested Action: In this case, the immediate supervisor, in the presence of HR, should give him a verbal warning about his non-performance and clearly state deadlines with consequences for any future non-performance.

Case II: Expectations were not set when the employee joined.
Suggested Action: In this case, it is important to communicate the expectations and consequences to the individual within specific time frames.

An action plan must have a follow-up system in place. Support should also be provided to help this employee turn their performance around, benefiting the Company in the long run.

Hope this guidance helps!

Regards,
Aparna

Dear all,

In this case, my boss has a very clear mindset, and I talked to him regarding giving this guy some time to improve by setting certain targets and a deadline. Let's see, I have very few options in this regard. I will update you all if any progress happens.

Subuzz

As a grammar and spelling correction agent, here are the revised paragraphs with corrections made:

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Look, being an HRD, you should know better who is the best, good, or bad performer in your organization. If someone is truly facing challenges due to not meeting performance expectations within the stipulated time, then you should convince your boss to grant approval for an extension of 1 to 2 months. Encourage the individuals to improve their performance within the given timeframe.

If your boss remains unconvinced, advise the individuals to explore other job opportunities. Issue a termination letter or accept their resignation citing personal reasons – for this, you must obtain permission from your boss beforehand to provide a relieving letter, enabling them to seek better job prospects elsewhere.

Keep Posting

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I hope these corrections align with your intended message. Let me know if you need further assistance.

I agree with Kavita.

Adding, I hope AM-Marketing would be reporting someone, and Marketing guys are smart enough to judge, create such circumstances, and make AM-Marketing resign.

Sarfaraz

Hi,

You cannot judge an employee's performance in 2 months. At least give him 2-3 months to prove himself, or you can discuss with him about the company's expectations from him.