Workplace Challenges

Book offers step-by-step guide on recruiting the best workers and getting rid of 'poison' employees

The art of hiring and firing

You've been promoted to manager or supervisor, but along with that newfound responsibility comes hiring and firing -- arguably the two hardest parts of your job. Hire the right person, you're a hero. Hire the wrong person and your workplace suffers.

LINDA WHITE
[ 2008-03-05 ]

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BOSSES 'PERSONALIZE IT'


"Most supervisors tell me they can't fire a person," says Ruth Haag, author of Hiring and Firing by Haag Press. "I think people personalize it too much. But if you have an employee who's not functioning, other employees will see that. They'll decide to misbehave or resent extra work because of the bad employee."

Haag understands firsthand the challenge of hiring and firing. She was assigned her first supervisory position more than 30 years ago and quickly began experiencing problems. Trained as a scientist, she began to analyze what was going wrong and developed a management style that worked for her.

President of a hazardous waste remediation company in Ohio, Haag discovered that one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to hiring and firing. She believes that supervisors fall into one of three personality categories, which helps determine their management style:

- A sensitive supervisor is afraid to confront their employees and hopes that, if they ignore the problem, it will go away. They must learn to confront their employees.


- The belligerent supervisor is often angry and frustrated with having to take the time to supervise anyone and is upset when things go wrong. They have to learn to stop and wait before confronting employees.

- Regal supervisors are afraid of losing their own job and see their employees as a threat to their position. They must fight their urge to look supervisory.

One of the first steps to hiring the right person is to decide what attributes you need in an employee, Haag says. Do you want, for example, someone who will work extra hours without complaint or someone who has many outside activities and interests and can spread the word about your company?

SOME PROBLEMS FIXABLE


When advertising a job opening, clearly state the type of person you're looking for, including educational requirements. Weed out the resumes of candidates you know will not succeed in your company. Interview the others, asking questions about their training and work ethics.

Haag doesn't give too much weight to reference checks. "I don't find any role for reference checks, unless you're trying to confirm dates of employment," she says. "Generally, we don't say something bad about someone we've fired."

When it comes time to make a job offer, give the candidate a chance to ask questions and allow them time to make their decision. Worried you've hired the wrong person? Some performance problems are fixable, so address them frankly and allow time for improvement.

But some people are just bad employees -- they may not be doing their job or are disruptive to staff, even after warnings. "If you hire the wrong person, they can be a poison to your company and a distraction to other staff," Haag says. "The biggest lesson I've learned is that if a person isn't performing, you need to cut them free."

Before firing, make sure you document everything and give a 'final warning,' Haag advises. But resignations are a more common way for business relationships to end and should be handled gracefully.

YOU'RE FIRED!


Donald Trump may have no problem uttering the words "You're fired!" but most supervisors would rather tolerate bad employee behaviour than face the firing process, says author Ruth Haag. In her book, Hiring and Firing, the third in her Taming Your Inner Supervisor series, she uses real-life experiences to teach you how to find the right employees and let go of the ones who aren't working out. It's available at bookstores or directly from the publisher at www.haagpress.com. Suggested retail price: $14.95



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