As a manager, it is essential to keep an eye on an employee’s behavior. Not only is it important for their work ethic to be good, but they should be able to show up to work consistently.
If you happen to have an employee whose attendance is flawed to the point of concern, then it is time to look at difficult options.
Although uncomfortable, sometimes the best way to go about disciplining staff is to relieve them of their position altogether.
In order to succeed in the firing process effectively and professionally, we have put together a guide on how to correctly fire an employee for bad attendance.
Why It Is Important to Address Poor Attendance
Depending on the type of employer and their own attitude, attendance can be looked at differently. Whilst some people are more accepting of continuous absences, others choose to be strict. Although it may be difficult, it is the duty of the manager to be stern and stick to formalities.
This employee has chosen to work under the manager, and this means consistency in everything they do including their attendance. To work for someone requires much more than job performance and that is why a person’s attendance is so important.
Before moving on to the ‘how to’ of firing, it is first important to understand why addressing poor attendance is necessary.
Financial Burden
One of the major issues of excessive poor attendance is the financial burden it brings to the company. As a company, the workers are being paid to do their jobs and this includes turning up to do so.
By keeping on an employee who does not contribute to the company as much as they should, this is financially burdening that company. The money used to pay this employee is wasted and can instead be used for someone else who will get the job done.
Negative Effect On Team
It could be that the employee who needs to be fired is a team leader. A team leader’s duty is to lead and drive their work peers to success, but this cannot be achieved if they are always absent.
If an employee who holds an authoritative position such as this is showing signs of poor attendance, then this will have a huge effect on the team as a whole. In order for the company to thrive, it is important to have leaders who are dedicated to their position and put the team first.
Bad Mentality
Reasons people do not attend work is usually due to sickness, but if this is a frequent excuse then it is worth questioning their mentality. Sickness does not always have to be physical. Sometimes if an employee is feeling overworked or unmotivated, this can lead to feelings of sickness.
If this is the case, it may be that this employee is not passionate about the role and that is cause for concern. As a company, you want all employees to feel happy.
Firing An Employee
Now that you know why addressing poor attendance is such an important issue, you can now move on to the steps to firing your employee. These steps will be uncomfortable for both parties however as an active manager it is essential to put the company first.
Step 1
Write Everything Down
The first step is to write everything down as documentation is very essential. As a manager, you want to keep an eye on your employee’s performance, the number of days they have had off in the past month, weeks, days.
By keeping note of this performance, you will have evidence to back you up when it comes to firing.
Step 2
Communication Is Key
Before thinking about letting your employee go, it is important that you first communicate to them your concerns about their absences, letting them know that their job is on the line.
Through communicating this, go over their job description, highlighting what their duties are as an employee and the amount of hours and dedication which need to be put into working with the company.
Step 3
Do Not Jump To Conclusions
As an employer, it can be easy to jump to conclusions when you see that your employer is showing signs of excessive absence. However, there may be valid reasons for their absence.
If this is the case, you do not want to unethically relieve this person of their job. If this employee is always calling in sick then it is important to ask them to show you a doctor’s note from a healthcare professional.
If they are absent for other reasons, have a meeting with them to speak of the reasons for their absences. If they are rational reasons, firing may not have to be an option.
Step 4
Firing Your Employee
By this point, you as a manager will have given this employee many chances to redeem themselves. You have given them warnings, verbally communicated with them of their errors in attendance, and have documented their performance.
If you see that their attitude to maintaining regular attendance has not changed, then you are completely liable to terminate this employee’s position at the company.
Allow your employee to have a maximum of three chances, giving them written warnings in the form of official letters each time. After the third notice, there are no exceptions.
Final Thoughts
As a manager, it is important to make important decisions and this is because the company always has to come first. It is essential not to let the downfall of one person affect the business as a whole.
As well as the performance of an employee, their work ethic and the skills they pursue, attendance is also a vital factor. Above, we have gone through the many reasons addressing attendance is so important as well as taking you through the few steps to initiating the firing itself.
As long as this employee has been notified of their behavior and they have been given several warnings, an employee has full power and is entitled to relieve this individual of their position.
