Navigating the Challenge of Terminating a Long-term Employee with Empathy and Fairness

Dear friends and seniors,

I have to terminate an employee because of his short temper, lack of commitment, and lackadaisical approach to issues pertaining to legal and finance, etc. We have been trying to persuade him to the right path, but he has some other intentions. He is 59 years old and has been working with us for four years. We would like to terminate him on good terms (if possible). Please guide me on how to overcome this issue.

Dear Sreejith Menon,

If you want to terminate him in a good manner, then you just need to call him and have a word with him regarding the current situation. No wonder the employee has been with the company for so many years; it should be that he/she is able to abide by the company rules and regulations, rather than acting in his/her own manner.

If not, you can issue 3 warning letters with a 5-day gap. At the end of the third week, you should put down the termination letter for that employee. Again, all this is stated in the appointment letter along with the terms mentioned in it...

Dear Sreejitmenon,

When the company appointed him at age 55, I am sure you did not expect to get a person with the skillset, attitudes, temperament, etc., of a young person of 25. His experience, which made him appealing to your company in the first place, also carries with it all the quirks you mentioned.

Secondly, he knows he is near retirement and has probably already switched off or is in the process of doing so. This is the price one has to pay for appointing a person so near to retirement age, though there are exceptions.

Having said this, I have to ask a searching question: Would he not be deprived of gratuity if he quits or is asked to quit before he completes 5 years of service?

Without intending to prejudge the intent of the company, you could have a soft separation by offering to pay him the full/half remaining salary till age 60 (date of retirement) as well as gratuity 'as though he had worked till the end'. If this offer is given, I am sure he would walk out willingly.

Gerry303

A very good proactive HR-like approach. "Grace" is something several HR persons tend to forget or ignore. At this ripe age and at the fag end of his active career, one should lend grace to the occasion.

We are all in the business of "Looking After People." We should value them even when parting is likely to happen.

Vasant Nair

QUOTE=gerry303;1048326]Dear Sreejitmenon,

When the company appointed him at age 55, I am sure you did not expect to get a person with the skillset, attitudes, temperament, etc., of a young person of 25. His experience, which made him appeal to your company in the first place, also carries with it all the quirks you mentioned.
Secondly, he knows he is near retirement and has probably already switched off or is in the process of doing so. This is the price one has to pay for appointing a person so near to retirement age, though there are exceptions.
Having said this, I have to ask a searching question: Would he not be deprived of gratuity if he quits or is asked to quit before he completes 5 years of service? Without intending to prejudge the intent of the company, you could have a soft separation by offering to pay him the full/half remaining salary till age 60 (date of retirement) as well as gratuity 'as though he had worked till the end.' If this offer is given, I am sure he would walk out willingly.

Gerry303[/QUOTE]

Dear friends and seniors,

Thank you very much for all the suggestions. Even now, I wanted him onboard, but he created enough embarrassment for the management as well as employees. All the statutory and financial bodies involved in our factory operations have started informing us directly and indirectly, and the company feels this external dissatisfaction intolerable.

I hope I can still correct him and take along with my team.

Thank you and regards,
Sreejith