Navigating Office Romance: How to Handle Termination and Team Disruption

Hi friends, please suggest what steps I can take in this situation.

Issue with BPO Staff Proposal

Our BPO staff: a guy has proposed to his colleague, but she was not interested. Not only are these two affected, but the entire team is also impacted because of this. Everyone is focusing on this issue, and there has been no production for the past 3-4 days.

Management Decision and Team Impact

Now, the management has decided to terminate this guy because of his personal affair within the team. The entire team is disturbed by this decision. What should I do if I have to terminate him? Can anyone provide me with the format of a termination letter, please?

Thanks & regards,
Gayathri Deepak.

The statement you have made is not clear or concise. I don't really understand how a proposal could have disturbed the morale of the entire team or group. Additionally, how could this lead to decreased productivity?

It is crucial to be clear and specific in these types of discussions. There is no need to terminate an employee if he/she has proposed something to another colleague. If the management has decided to terminate based on this issue, there must be a valid reason behind it. Please mention it for better understanding and comments.

Thank you.

Dear Gayathri, how can you terminate a guy for a love proposal? As long as he hasn't behaved badly towards the girl, you can't terminate him. I don't know how it has affected productivity. If it has affected productivity, then that whole team is not good at all. You can't compromise productivity on these silly matters as you are all professionals.

The guy could be terminated if he is acting as a stalker, which puts his actions under the category of workplace harassment. However, it depends on the severity and pervasiveness of the behavior to determine if it creates a hostile work environment. If the behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile work environment, then I think you can take strict actions regarding this matter.

Well, instead of terminating, you should be counseling that guy and take more control in the office. Boost the morale of the employees by helping them understand to treat work and personal life differently. Make them understand that their interference in an irrelevant situation resulted in low productivity. Emphasize the impact of the proposal made by that individual. Hold a group discussion to ensure everyone is on the same page and instill confidence in your employees by alerting them not to repeat such actions. Warn the individual that if this behavior repeats in the office, necessary steps will be taken.

Cheers,
Pallavi

Sorry, friends. Let me be clear first. Actually, there was no production in the team for the past few days, especially this guy (Mr. X), who is a very good performer, but his sales were also zero during this time. Now, we didn't know what was going wrong in the team. When I asked about the production to one agent, he mentioned a proposal incident that occurred within the team.

The girl usually travels with another colleague who is married, and Mr. X has been arguing with the married person for taking her on his bike. The married person is an Anglo, and there are a few more Anglo people who have been quarreling with Mr. X. As a result, everyone in the team was focused on this issue, leading to a lot of arguments, which affected the production. Mr. X has also been bothering the girl, blackmailing her, and pressuring her to love him. Consequently, all the agents have not been concentrating on their calls, which was a major reason for the decrease in production. This information has been gathered from the agents themselves.

Furthermore, regarding the potential termination of Mr. X, he was found consuming alcohol during work hours last Friday. Initially, we considered issuing a warning letter; however, after learning about the full extent of the proposal incident, we have decided to terminate him, despite his good performance. Though I am having second thoughts about giving him just a warning this time.

I hope I am clear now. Please provide your suggestions.

Hey, thanks Pallavi. Even I was thinking about the same, but I was also considering whether it would be a wrong decision.

Dear Gayathri Deepak, you can't terminate an employee for such a minor reason. He simply expressed his feelings and did not harass her by keeping those thoughts to himself. If other employees are also affected by this issue and their productivity is suffering, it may not be the sole reason for the low production. Instead of termination, consider providing counseling and setting goals for them to focus on.

Give them counseling and establish clear goals so that they can concentrate on achieving those objectives.

Thank you.

Best regards

I have seen many people being terminated for frivolous reasons. But, in your explanation, it seems your BPO has hired a MISS UNIVERSE on your rolls, for whom the entire BPO (Anglos or whatevers) are hell-bent on protecting their Eye-Candy from being stolen by the guy who needs basic lessons in "The Proposal." The guy needs to be told to "Think A MILLION Times before you run after a Miss Universe"... and now that he is confused with the old saying "A Girl's NO actually means YES," he is trying to figure out if it's YES OR NO. Meanwhile, all the hopefuls in the BPO need to act and react without bothering about their career or job.

But actually, the important lesson to the entire BPO is "IF One Goes and The Next One Comes along," whether it is a job, girl, or whatever. Moreover, if the entire team's production can be shaken by a silly proposal, I think you have recruited the wrong people in the first place... better to warn or fire or terminate one and all...

Regards.

Termination is not the solution. As you mentioned, you are in a BPO, so you will be working in shifts. You can roster Mr. X in a different shift from the other Anglos and the girl. Give him an additional opportunity as he is a good performer in managing the floor and achieving targets. With time, Mr. X will focus on his targets and work and will also think less about the girl since they are not facing each other.

However, ensure he understands the company's rules, regulations, and policies. Such actions will not be tolerated in the future. I believe this could be an effective remedy to resolve this issue.

Dear Gayathri, whatever the case may be, is your management okay with a guy being drunk on duty? If not, you have already missed one chance. Have you at least inquired as to why he was intoxicated on that Friday, if I am not wrong? Any warning letters issued? Any apology letters received?

Secondly, grouping your other colleagues as somewhat "Anglo," what was it? Race, union, ethnicity. Please avoid this grouping. Ensure that people report the matter to higher-ups and do not fight or quarrel among themselves.

Two Red Flags for You:

1) Allowing a drunken guy to go unnoticed.
2) Being willing to accept a group (trouble).

Take care. God bless you.

Hi Gayath,

The issue you have mentioned seems to be both sensitive and non-sensitive. Don't make a one-way decision. I would suggest a method that I was part of in a similar kind of issue where I was also a committee member.

Arrange for a small discussion with Mr. X, Ms. X, Mr. Anglo, along with you, and two other important personalities (a manager or program manager). Have the discussion, and at the same time, record it on your phone or CCTV. Start with Mr. X, Ms. X, and Mr. Anglo sharing their inputs, followed by you providing your insights. Ask your head or the program manager to validate the points discussed. Mr. X and Ms. X can also contribute to the discussion to reach a conclusion.

Based on the discussion, come to a final decision to find a solution to the issue. It may sound challenging, but this is my suggestion.

To Manage Others' Work

You can consider two approaches:

1. Assigning them additional tasks (such as training, presentations, reports, etc.)
2. Motivating them with more incentives.

Once the issue subsides, if Mr. X is involved in drinking or any other activities again, according to the disciplinary terms, you may have to consider terminating him (as he has already committed once). Whatever actions you take, ensure that you have proper documentation. It will assist you in various ways.

Thanks & Regards,

Harikrishna S

[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Hahahhahahaaaa... borntosin, this is a serious issue. Well, this is Nupur (remember?) with this ID.

Hey Gayathri, in such a case, take the whole team's decision. Violating company rules is a serious matter. Take a poll of employees, make a quick decision, and speak to the girl once. Please keep in mind that Mr. X is not the only root cause of low production; it's just one of the factors influencing it or just the apparent reason. You have to concentrate on increasing production first by offering some benefits to your employees, such as monetary incentives or gift vouchers. Increase their morale with team-building activities or outings.

You have to wisely decide on it. The actual issue is production, and the second issue is Mr. X. Please make a wise decision so that no other employee will dare to do it again.

Speak to the guy; if he has to stay in the company, he must apologize and be kept under observation for the next six months. If it repeats, mark it as a black mark and terminate him.

Consider Alternatives to Termination

In this case, you also can't terminate him. Just consider that by terminating him, you would be losing an employee who has shown good performance consistently. So, here's a suggestion: instead of letting him go, consider transferring him to a different department, perhaps the Girls Department if you have one.

Additionally, have a one-on-one conversation with him in your office. Address the issue of him pursuing a female colleague and explain why it's inappropriate. Set clear goals for both employees, which may lead to a positive change in behavior.

Handling Employee Misconduct in Manufacturing Organizations

This type of situation mostly occurs in manufacturing organizations. Actually, in such situations, most companies handle it by implementing policies such as an Anti-harassment Policy, Security Do's and Don'ts, Grievances Policy, and clearly outlining these policies in the company's standing orders along with details of the consequences.

You should address the above-mentioned situation in accordance with the law. Without a clear policy in place, you cannot terminate any employee for misconduct. Otherwise, the employee has the right to take legal action against the company for such actions.

In your situation, I recommend issuing a warning letter regarding misconduct or a performance improvement letter to the employee in question so that they can realign themselves. This action will also serve as an example for other employees.

If the employee does not show improvement, proceed to issue a strict second warning letter. This step will again serve as an example for others.

In the third stage, provide a one-month notice period as per the employment contract and settle the Full and Final (F & F) dues on the last working day before terminating the employee.

I hope you understand the suggested course of action.

Thank you,

Hari Krishan Bains

Hey friends, thanks for all your valuable suggestions. Now the problem is solved. Last Thursday, I asked Mr. X to come before the shift starts, but he didn't. He arrived at 10 p.m., but our project manager didn't allow him inside and called me. I told him that unless he met me and signed the warning letter, he was not supposed to dial. He came on Friday. I inquired about what had happened over the last four days, gave him a warning letter for unprofessional conduct, and counseled him regarding the matter. Now he is clear.

Finally, on Friday, during the review meeting with the agents, I clearly stated the rules and regulations and highlighted the points which were hindering the agents' productivity. As a result, we have also implemented a new process and made a few changes in the dialing.

I hope everything will be fine from today. Cheers, friends. Thanks for your support.

As per your description, the entire situation seems to be a bit delicate as there are many people involved. It is better to act according to the situation there. First, analyze the situation properly and ensure impartiality. Try to get the entire situation under control by counseling the main individuals involved. If it worsens, you can issue a serious warning letter for misconduct to all active participants in the situation. If your management is strong enough to handle the crisis, you may also consider terminating the main individual. However, do not forget to counsel with support and motivation if the girl is innocent. Hope this helps you.