Firing an employee is never easy, but unfortunately, it becomes your responsibility as an HR person when one of your employees is not performing well anymore. Although the decision of firing an employee should be always the last resort, sometimes when you try all your best to help that employee improve, but you don’t observe any significant progress, firing them might be the only solution to protect your business. ZenHR highlights 10 warning signs it may be time to fire an employee.

1. Their productivity is declining

When all of your employees are meeting or exceeding your expectations, while one specific employee is constantly underperforming and missing his/her deadlines, it’s a sign it’s time to let him/her go, as this underperforming employee might damage the productivity and morale of other employees in the workplace.

2. They spread dissension, gossip, and drama

Gossip is part of almost every workplace and it’s normal, but when an employee is always gossiping, spreading rumors, badmouthing colleagues, and creating a culture of hatred and grudges, you should definitely consider firing them as soon as you can.

3. They’re static and resistant to change

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, constant change is key to the success of any business. If an employee used to be a great performer and contributor but now is no longer able to keep pace with the growth and change that the company is experiencing, it means he/she is no longer a right fit for the company. In order to succeed, companies need to continuously evolve, as do their employees.

4. You’re getting customer complaints

When your customers are having a bad experience dealing with your employee, they’ll most probably stop using your product or service. Building good relationships with customers and retaining them is critical to the success of your business, that’s why you should never allow any employee to ruin these relationships and you have to take these complaints seriously.

5. They make repeated mistakes

Making mistakes is inevitable and is part of the learning process we go through at work, and employers rarely fire employees over one or two mistakes, but if you are warning the same employee over and over again about the same mistake and the employee is not taking your warnings seriously, then it might be time to let the employee go.

Haneen Ibrahim

Haneen Ibrahim is the Head of Communications at ZenHR, the award-winning HR Software, with a strong passion for HR. She creates engaging blog and social media content on HR topics, cutting-edge trends, and valuable tips for businesses and HR professionals.