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Terminate or Reassign? What to Do With a Poor Performing Accounting Employee?
Firing is hard and most of us don’t like to do it. However, it’s important to note that when you fire an employee, you are also creating an opening for someone else that is more deserving of that opportunity. Keep this in mind when you are evaluating an employee that is struggling in his or her role.
What is the cause?
There can be a lot of factors that can cause an employee to struggle in a particular position – many of them unrelated to their work ethic or potential as an employee.
Take a closer look at your employee’s team and body of work. Is the issue new or has this employee consistently struggled in this position? Is their relationship with co-workers the cause of the problem? Are they having issues at home that may be transferring into their productivity?
You may just want to ask this employee yourself why they aren’t performing so well and if there is anything that can be done to remedy the situation.
Is it correctable?
You may find that the problem isn’t fixable and that reassigning this employee isn’t an option. If the problem lies in the employee’s attitude or professional capabilities, you may have to them go. There is no sense in saving one person’s job just to put the company and all of its employees at risk.
Can you see this employee in an available role?
If there is no outside influence causing this particular employee to struggle, the next step is to see if they would be better suited for another position within the company. Consider a position with less responsibility, one that is more motivating or is more appropriate for their skill set.
It is also important to consider, when reassigning an employee, how this employee will collaborate with their new team or department. Run this by the team to be sure they are comfortable with the change in personnel before reassigning the struggling employee. If it isn’t a good fit for everyone, then it is time to let your struggling employee go.
For more managerial advice or to empower your team by hiring a new employee, partner with Halcyon Finance & Accounting Recruitment. We have a pool of deeply talented Toronto wide accounting and finance professionals. Contact us today.
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