Employee Retention

1
Employee Retention

• Dealing with Problem Behavior

2
Hire slowly, fire quickly
3
Performance Problems

• Whats the cause of the performance problem?
• skill, motivation, ability, obstacles
• Whats the appropriate solution?
• training
• job design
• rewards
• transfer
• termination

4
Modifying Behavior

• Identify behavior you want to stop/encourage
• Analyze reinforcers
• Identify obstacles to desired behavior
• Clarify performance expectations
• Obtain agreement
• Follow-up and
• Coach continuing problems
• Reinforce correct behavior

5
Progressive Discipline

• Investigate and document problem
• Oral warning
• Written warning
• Suspension (or final warning)
• ltoptional Termination hearinggt
• Termination

Severe infractions lead directly to termination
6
Progressive Discipline Benefits

7
Progressive Discipline Caveats

8
Fear of Firing

• Terminations are the single largest reason for
  employee lawsuits. Why?
• Fear of a wrongful discharge suit paralyzes some
  employers
• Dont employers have a right to employ who they
  want?

9
Employment at Will Doctrine

• Employer may terminate employment for good
  reason, poor reason, or no reason at all
• except discrimination on protected
  characteristics or retaliation for exercising
  legal rights
• Employee has the same right
• 60-65 of employees fall in this category

10
Employment at Will Exceptions

• Breach of contract
• Collective bargaining agreements
• Literal or Implied contracts
• Duty of good faith/fair dealing
• Public policy
• Refusing to violate law
• Retaliation
• Smokers Right Bill (Colorado)

11
Fairness in Firing

• Ultimate issue Will your decision be judged to
  be fair?
• To the employee affected
• To coworkers
• To a jury (or arbitrator)

12
Why Terminate Employees?

• For Cause
• What about off-the-job behavior?
• Reductions in force

13
Alternatives to Termination

• Transfer
• Restructure
• Neutralize
• Encouraging employee to resign

14
Transfers

• When appropriate?
• Employee has valuable skills that can be applied
  elsewhere
• Performance problems wont affect new position
• Easier in larger and richer firms
• New supervisor should be fully appraised

15
Restructuring

• Same basic guidelines as for transfers
• More likely in good times and labor shortages
• Employee involvement particularly important

16
Neutralizing

• When you want to fire, but cant
• Restructuring work so negatives have least impact
  on you, coworkers or customers
• Ensuring that employee is no longer in the way
  of employees who are making money for the
  company

17
What About Encouraging Employee to Resign?

• Can be useful if employee voluntarily quits
  because they realize their behavior wont be
  tolerated
• But beware of constructive discharge

18
Firing Summary-I

• What warrants termination?
• Chronic Performance Problems
• Absenteeism
• Dishonesty
• Insubordination
• Substance abuse?

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Firing Summary-II

• Clarify employment at will
• Disclaimers in hiring process
• Check/revise policy manual
• Avoid appearance of wrongful discharge
• Base decision on business issues
• Use progressive discipline
• Be consistent