How to Firmly Yet Kindly Warn Employees About Performance Before Termination?

Hi All, I have to send an email to some of the employees who, despite being warned about their performance, have not shown any improvement. The email should state that they must improve their performance within a specific time frame, or else they will be terminated due to poor performance. Simultaneously, it should not be too harsh.

Regards,
Shikha Godiyal

Handling Employee Warnings

How were the earlier warnings carried out? Hopefully not via emails too?!

Warnings should be conducted via face-to-face meetings, properly documented, and counter-signed by both the employee and HR Manager/direct superior of staff.

Did the company conduct an investigation to find out the reasons for the poor performance? After the warnings, did the company try to close the performance gaps, e.g., training and development?

Warnings should not be harsh but should be firm, fair, and consistent in administration. If after all the due diligence has been done, and the employee still has poor performance, dismissal should be the next course of action before it becomes a morale issue.

Regards,
Autumn Jane

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Giving and receiving feedback by seniors, immediate superiors, or department heads should be a structured, organized, and systematic procedure at regular intervals. There is a separate training module on the Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback. I don't know whether in your organization senior management personnel get to know what led the employees to perform poorly. This kind of feedback is essential before even issuing warning letters. The reasons could be many, such as the work environment, rules, regulations, market situation, business environment, and so on.

Before taking any punitive action, it's better to find out from the employees concerned through a face-to-face dialogue or conversation.

Best wishes

Performance Appraisal Procedure

I believe the procedure for performance appraisal exists in your organization. If so, you must adhere to the performance appraisal procedures concerning employees who are not meeting expectations. Initially, please identify the shortcomings and deficiencies of the employees and communicate these details to the individuals involved, requesting them to rectify the issues within six months.

After monitoring their performance for six months to a year, review the employees' progress. If they have not improved and continue to demonstrate poor performance, then you should take steps to terminate their employment after issuing a show-cause notice and obtaining a written explanation from them. This process ensures fairness and helps prevent potential legal issues.

Regards,
Suri Babu Komakula