Many employers may have a difficult time letting go of an employee, even when that employee has become extremely problematic, unproductive, incompetent at his or her job, or is the subject of extensive disciplinary actions. These employees are not interested in being part of the team. They simply generate chaos and hinder production. You can spot these employees because they don't respond to constructive feedback, tend to renege on agreements, refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and don't take others' needs into consideration.

What employers with dead weight do not often realize is holding on to such employees is not beneficial to them or their business. In actual fact, keeping these employees on does far more harm than good.

Reasons You May Be Hesitant to Let an Employee Go

It is not uncommon for a dead weight employee to try and make him- or herself appear irreplaceable or invaluable to the company where he or she works. Many times this makes it harder for a boss to identify dead weight and let the employee go.

Resolving this problem starts with looking at some of the reasons you may be hesitant to let an employee go:

• The employee has been with your company for a very long time
• The employee is a family member or friend
• The employee has developed such a positive rapport with your clients, you're worried about the potential backlash
• The employee has proprietary information you're worried will leak out
• You can't imagine anyone else doing the employee's job
• You're worried about the income you may lose
• You are afraid of violating labor laws
• You don't like confrontation
• You've begun to second guess your decision

Let me tell you this with certainty, even if you feel terminating a dead weight employee may cost you in income, staff or clients, the exact opposite is probably true. Getting rid of a bad apple in the mix will usually improve conditions. At the very least, you will prevent ill-will amongst your staff, save yourself a lot of lost time and frustration, and even reduce the risk of losing good employees and clients.

Signs You Have An Employee Who Needs to Be Replaced

As long as you can identify a dead weight employee, you can take action to remedy the situation. Some of the most easily-spotted signs you have an employee who needs to be replaced includes:

• Continual dishonesty and lies of commission or omission
• Incompetence on the job, despite extensive training, coaching, practice and a reasonable amount of time for the employee to adjust and adapt
• Flat out refusal to do the job or operate as a member of your team
• Undependable; cannot be counted upon to be on-time, adhere to deadlines or keep commitments
• Engages in unethical behavior such as: harassment, in-office bullying, or other activities in violation of your company's code of conduct

If you have an employee who fits into this category, it is likely he or she needs to be replaced.

Bringing In a Competent Replacement

Most employees are willing to work hard, be a contributing member of your team and help your business thrive. This should make it relatively easy to bring in a competent replacement for any dead weight employee you need to terminate. Once you have made the decision to free yourself of the bad apples, we are here to help.

The People Link is a professional recruitment service specializing in finding and placing qualified healthcare candidates in positions throughout the U.S. All you need to do is let us know what you are looking for and we can help you find it. To learn more about the various services we offer, please visit our website or call Mya at 818-890-9998 for a free, no-obligation consultation.