If any of your employees are underperforming, you must act quickly before their behavior damages your company's reputation or reduces your earnings. However, it would help if you took some time to strategize to ensure that your action does not affect your business.

For example, if you fire an employee without notice, they might take you to court, which might damage your company's reputation. Besides, the legal battle might take up a lot of your time and finances. Therefore, if you're contemplating firing an employee because of poor performance, it is advisable to take the following measures.
 

Gather Sufficient Information about the Worker's Poor Performance

Before you terminate a worker's contract, gather sufficient information about their poor performance. Start by finding out when the behavior started and what could have contributed to the problem. For example, your employees might be underperforming because they're not getting along with their colleagues. They might also be undergoing domestic problems that might be causing them stress. In that case, it might be unfair to terminate their contract without trying to solve their problems.

When you determine what is bothering your worker, organize a meeting with them to discuss the issue. Then, give them time to open up on what is bothering them before recommending the best solution to their problems. After that, give them some time and see whether the behavior will change. However, if their productivity does not improve, you might consider terminating their contract.
 

2. Record Everything You Discuss With Your Underperforming Workers

Make sure that you record everything you discuss with your underperforming employees. That includes noting down what you discuss in an informal conversation. Your records will act as evidence in case any employee decides to sue you for firing them. You will use the information to prove that your employee has not been performing according to your expectations. Besides, you will show the court the minutes of the previous meetings and efforts implemented to help your employee improve their behavior. As a result, the court might rule in your favor, justifying your decision to fire your worker.
 

3. Ensure That Every Employee Understands Their Responsibilities

It is also advisable to ensure that employees understand their responsibilities. Whenever you hire workers or transfer them to a different department, make sure they understand their responsibilities and collaboration with their colleagues. That will enable workers to know what you expect from them. Besides, it will make it easy for you to know who is responsible when one of the departments does not complete their projects in time. As a result, it will be easy to hold one employee accountable instead of punishing all the workers in one department.
 

4. Offer Your Employees the Assistance They Require

If any of your employees require any help to perform better, offer them the assistance they require. That is the best way to retain your valuable employees because offering them some training will enable them to acquire valuable skills that will enable them to offer better services. Besides, training your workers might be more affordable than funding a hiring process.

Apart from organizing training programs, it is also advisable to congratulate employees whenever they perform well. Furthermore, it would help to correct them when they make a mistake and ensure that they are always happy when working. Besides, whenever you feel that an employee is not performing according to your expectations, tell them what they need to improve before terminating their contract.
 

5. Fire Your Employee if They Don't Improve

Consider terminating their contract if you try to help your employee improve their productivity, but they don't improve. However, before you start the procedure, consult a professional lawyer for advice. That will ensure that you understand the termination laws before you take any action. Besides, it will ensure that you follow all the laws to prevent lawsuits.

After you understand the legal procedure of hiring your employee, start the firing process, ensuring that you follow your lawyer's advice. Remember that if your employee discovers that you violated any of their rights when firing them, they might use that in court to prove that they didn't deserve to lose their job. That is why you need to be careful and follow every rule to prevent making any mistakes.
 

Conclusion

If any of your employees are not performing as you'd expect, take the measures above. That will ensure that you give your employees time to improve before firing them. Besides, it will enable you to follow the right procedure to prevent making any mistakes that might compel your worker to take to you to court for wrongful dismissal.