Knowing when to dismiss an employee?

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redlottie13

JUST BE NICE
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
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Location
Bournmouth
Hey guys other than anything major such as gross misconduct how do you decide whether you have just had enough of a staff member?

Do you do personal improvement plans, or do you just say see ya?

I have a staff member thats been with me a year. She's a night mare. She has a disabled son, and has issues with childcare. She has called in sick 3 times this month alone. Gone to a competitor salon to get her lashes done as she left it till the last minute to get in with us.
She left all the front door unlocked over night!
And she takes ages to do everything, she's half soaked!

She's a great girl and clients love her.
But omg I'm beyond peeved right now!
Any advise or am I just being an emotional wreck ?

Xx
 
Hey guys other than anything major such as gross misconduct how do you decide whether you have just had enough of a staff member?

Do you do personal improvement plans, or do you just say see ya?

I have a staff member thats been with me a year. She's a night mare. She has a disabled son, and has issues with childcare. She has called in sick 3 times this month alone. Gone to a competitor salon to get her lashes done as she left it till the last minute to get in with us.
She left all the front door unlocked over night!
And she takes ages to do everything, she's half soaked!

She's a great girl and clients love her.
But omg I'm beyond peeved right now!
Any advise or am I just being an emotional wreck ?

Xx
She also nearly done a brow tint on someone who hasn't had a skin test until I asked to see the skin test card. To which she replied "ERM I dunno I wasn't here when she had it done "
(The client didn't have the skin test so walked out unhappy as she couldn't have the service done!!)
My therapist just shrugged her shoulders and said. "Ah that was lucky we didn't do it then " [emoji37]
 
Within two years you really don’t have to have a reason.
Do you do appraisals? We do them and so we talk about problems as they happen and hopefully they get nipped in the bud. We are with the NHF and use their appraisal forms so we both have a little direction. I look back at what has been discussed previously and we assess how things have gone.

Failing that you can simply say you don’t feel it’s working and you’re going to have to let her go.

Good luck x
 
She's a night mare. She has a disabled son, and has issues with childcare.
She has called in sick 3 times this month alone. Gone to a competitor salon to get her lashes done as she left it till the last minute to get in with us.
She left all the front door unlocked over night!
And she takes ages to do everything, she's half soaked!

As @squidgernetball says, regular staff appraisals are key to dealing with issues as they arise. Ideally, you start with setting out your expectations when they start work followed by regular reviews during the probation period.
If there’s a discipline matter, always address that immediately.

Set out your expectations on Day 1 when running through their duties, then consider reviewing end of 1st week, 2nd week, 1st month, 3rd month, 6 month, then annually or 6 monthly.

If you focus on the issues, the meetings don’t have to take very long at all but to get the most out if them, you do need to encourage participation from your staff and allow them to feedback to you about their ideas/concerns. Try to make it a positive experience and include discussions about useful training opportunities.

In this particular instance, if you decide to let her go, concentrate on her poor attitude towards essential health & safety - patch testing & major security breach, (not securing the premises adequately). Both of those issues are serious enough to warrant invoking disciplinary procedures.

What do you mean by ‘half soaked’? Is she coming to work hungover? That would be a disciplinary matter for me.

Don’t mention her childcare problems or time off sick as they’re superfluous at this stage.
 
As @squidgernetball says, regular staff appraisals are key to dealing with issues as they arise. Ideally, you start with setting out your expectations when they start work followed by regular reviews during the probation period.
If there’s a discipline matter, always address that immediately.

Set out your expectations on Day 1 when running through their duties, then consider reviewing end of 1st week, 2nd week, 1st month, 3rd month, 6 month, then annually or 6 monthly.

If you focus on the issues, the meetings don’t have to take very long at all but to get the most out if them, you do need to encourage participation from your staff and allow them to feedback to you about their ideas/concerns. Try to make it a positive experience and include discussions about useful training opportunities.

In this particular instance, if you decide to let her go, concentrate on her poor attitude towards essential health & safety - patch testing & major security breach, (not securing the premises adequately). Both of those issues are serious enough to warrant invoking disciplinary procedures.

What do you mean by ‘half soaked’? Is she coming to work hungover? That would be a disciplinary matter for me.

Don’t mention her childcare problems or time off sick as they’re superfluous at this stage.
The childcare isn't really an issue, she makes it one and expects to bring her child to work if she can't get any!
I mean clients aren't allowed to bring their children.

Half soaked- god no she's not hungover I would sack her for that.
But she is way way way away on another planet, she's not stupid just dizzy!

Yeah we do this too, although I didn't know nhf done the forms which is good to know.....
This has all been since her last appraisal though!
And going to a competitor? Surely this is a no no in our industry!! I would never do this!
X
 
And going to a competitor? Surely this is a no no in our industry!! I would never do this!
X

No, I believe that what an employee does in their own time is their own business.
If someone mentioned it, I’d ask if there was anything we could learn from it, in terms of good practice and obviously, I would expect them not to gossip about the salon.
 
I don't want my team wearing beauty or hair done from another salon. It's branding 101 to have your team wearing your work!! We go to other salons and have a blowdry or such done to get a feel for how other salons work but that's all.
I think you do have the right to get this in your contracts.
 
Also anyone that drains you that much is not good for you. I'd put her on a program for 4 weeks to see if you can shape her up and work together to get her performance up. Good team members are worth working with but your headspace is important to the businesses success I think. Good luck.
 
I think you do have the right to get this in your contracts.

You can put whatever you like in your contract but it doesn’t mean it’s enforceable.
There’s plenty of case law that spells out that employers do not own employees 24/7. Outside of work, if your employee chooses to visit another salon, they’re entitled to do so.
 
You can put whatever you like in your contract but it doesn’t mean it’s enforceable.
There’s plenty of case law that spells out that employers do not own employees 24/7. Outside of work, if your employee chooses to visit another salon, they’re entitled to do so.

Of course they are entitled to do what they want! However my point is when you take someone on and put it in the general part of the contract about appearance and the fact whether you give complimentary services to your staff and the conditions around that, this should be discussed and agreed.
It goes to a bigger issue of values though. And that's my main point. Why does she feel this is necessary? Is your culture and values reinforced in your business so everyone feels part of a team and supportive of each other? If one of my girls had their hair done elsewhere it would signal to the team that they did not support our stylists, didn't like the work they did and were not interested in showcasing what we were capable of. Do you want that type of thing going on in your business? Does she realise that is what her actions are saying to the rest of the team? Do you interpret them that way? It's just a point of consideration from your leadership perspective.
If I have team members behaving in ways I don't like I always go internal on my systems and processes first, then my leadership and how have I conveyed the issue. How can I create a culture that means my team back my values.
 
She got the heave hoe!....... I had enough! I need to get out of this too nice habit!
 
Well done! No room for passengers [emoji8]
 
Too Nice = strife. when i started I was the best, nicest boss in the World. I'd have loved to work with me! And I just got treated so disrespectfully. I've had dozy staff myself. One that arrived early, looked at the new glitter polishes that I'd priced up for sale the night before, and by the time I arrived, she was just sat there like a 6 year old showing me her newly painted fingers "Look!" She was so pleased with herself and quite hurt and bewildered, like a smacked child, when I pointed out that she'd painted Each finger in a different colour from unopened retail stock that I now couldn't sell. It was a relief when I naughtily sneeked a peek through the zipper of her bag and spotted a missing professional face mask sachet that had randomly appeared on the reception desk moments before. I deliberately didn't speak to her about the mask until the following day when she'd actually taken it off the premises just so I could sack her - still let her work notice though, (sigh). She was a 35yr old Mum of 2 primary school children not a teenager.

I'm getting better. I've got a single mum not working out atm. She clearly loves working with our team and is totally committed, just not right for us - too many issues, lateness, etc. and not trainable up to our standards. Sad and a shame and all that, but best to be firm and clear. Told her within 12 weeks probation, less heartache all round. And I've found that my staff respect me more now, they don't like working for a softie pushover.
 
Too Nice = strife. when i started I was the best, nicest boss in the World. I'd have loved to work with me! And I just got treated so disrespectfully. I've had dozy staff myself. One that arrived early, looked at the new glitter polishes that I'd priced up for sale the night before, and by the time I arrived, she was just sat there like a 6 year old showing me her newly painted fingers "Look!" She was so pleased with herself and quite hurt and bewildered, like a smacked child, when I pointed out that she'd painted Each finger in a different colour from unopened retail stock that I now couldn't sell. It was a relief when I naughtily sneeked a peek through the zipper of her bag and spotted a missing professional face mask sachet that had randomly appeared on the reception desk moments before. I deliberately didn't speak to her about the mask until the following day when she'd actually taken it off the premises just so I could sack her - still let her work notice though, (sigh). She was a 35yr old Mum of 2 primary school children not a teenager.

I'm getting better. I've got a single mum not working out atm. She clearly loves working with our team and is totally committed, just not right for us - too many issues, lateness, etc. and not trainable up to our standards. Sad and a shame and all that, but best to be firm and clear. Told her within 12 weeks probation, less heartache all round. And I've found that my staff respect me more now, they don't like working for a softie pushover.
[emoji37] omg your situation sounds like the replica of mine!

But you are right!

I'll be harder from now on xx
 

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