It is never an easy task to terminate an employee. After sifting through resumes, interviewing, and finally choosing a candidate, it is so frustrating to find that your employee choice was not what you expected.
In this economy, you will have been inundated with hundreds of resumes for every posted job. Although you were certain to ask for specific skills in your posting, you will find that you receive resumes from persons in all walks of life and more times than not, these individuals lack the skills that you are seeking.
When you finally find what you think is the right person to fit your job description, you may discover after a period of time that it wasn't the right person at all. People can misrepresent their skills and experience levels, which is why it is always necessary to perform a thorough background check. Often times you will find that your candidate has been employed in an office not far from your own and you may know the office manager or human resources manager, where the candidate was employed. You should have a specific task list ready prior to your background check and you may feel free to ask if your candidate was proficient at the tasks you require. You may also ask whether the former employer would consider re-hire of this employee, but you may not delve into the personal details of their lives.
Many on-line companies offer inexpensive background checks that will detail any prior undesirable history and you may feel free to use these tools as long as you have the prospective employees understanding and signature on file allowing you to investigate their past. Should your office require drug testing, you will want to use an independent laboratory and send only those candidates that you are considering seriously.
As previously discussed, you should have a standard training schedule and your new employee should be able to perform certain tasks independently, within an expected time frame. In addition to becoming proficient at their new job description, your new hire must show that they are able and willing to work well with their colleagues and show courtesy and respect to both the patients and their fellow workers.
Despite your best efforts to integrate your new hire into your work force, they may fall short of your expectations and you may discover that this individual is not suited to your organization. In this case, your most important task is to document each instance where the employee has fallen short of expectations. Your report should be in writing and you should meet with the employee and explain how they have not met your expectations and obtain their signature post meeting. A careful record of problems will avoid any labor issues in the future should you decide to terminate this employee.
You may want to consider whether or not an employee who does not show promise for their hired job description may be able to make a good fit elsewhere in your organization. Perhaps they have show a particular talent in working with patients, or they are not great with patients, but are highly skilled at obtaining referrals or pre-certifications. Since they have already become familiar with your office and your other employees, it will save you additional training. Alert the employee to the possibility that you are considering them for an alternative position and should this new position hold a lower salary or benefit level, make sure they have a clear understanding of the ramifications of a lateral move and agree to it in writing. Assure the employe that this change does not represent a demotion, but an attempt to keep them employed at a job where their particular skills may be better represented.
If all else fails and you must terminate the employee, you would be wise to provide them with copies of your evaluations and discuss their positive skills and suggest that they may be better suited to a different type of employment. Unless there has been a clear cut violation of the policies and procedures in your employee handbook, or instances of behavior that you have stated hold zero tolerance, it is never necessary to treat a terminated employee with anything less than courtesy and respect.
It is never easy for someone to lose a job and the employee often feels humiliated and deeply hurt that they could not meet the practice expectations. Your purpose is not to demean any individual but to express appreciation for their efforts and to suggest that their particular skill set is not suited to your office needs. Make sure that you provide your employee with an exit interview and information necessary to obtain Cobra coverage, if your office has provided health insurance or other benefits that the employee may want to continue to receive. In cases, where immediate dismissal is not an issue, you will want to give the employee some notice prior to their last day of work. You may want to restrict their computer access during their last days or even simplify their job description. Assure them that they will be paid, according to the payroll schedule for any last days of work. Do not hold paychecks hostage, even if your employee did not respond well to their dismissal or chose not to finish out their last days.
Remember the way you treat your former employees reflects as strongly on the practice as your treatment of your present ones. You will find that even terminated employees will be gracious when it comes to the practice reputation if you treat them with a sense of genuine loss and disappointment that their skills did not match your needs.
In this economy, you will have been inundated with hundreds of resumes for every posted job. Although you were certain to ask for specific skills in your posting, you will find that you receive resumes from persons in all walks of life and more times than not, these individuals lack the skills that you are seeking.
When you finally find what you think is the right person to fit your job description, you may discover after a period of time that it wasn't the right person at all. People can misrepresent their skills and experience levels, which is why it is always necessary to perform a thorough background check. Often times you will find that your candidate has been employed in an office not far from your own and you may know the office manager or human resources manager, where the candidate was employed. You should have a specific task list ready prior to your background check and you may feel free to ask if your candidate was proficient at the tasks you require. You may also ask whether the former employer would consider re-hire of this employee, but you may not delve into the personal details of their lives.
Many on-line companies offer inexpensive background checks that will detail any prior undesirable history and you may feel free to use these tools as long as you have the prospective employees understanding and signature on file allowing you to investigate their past. Should your office require drug testing, you will want to use an independent laboratory and send only those candidates that you are considering seriously.
As previously discussed, you should have a standard training schedule and your new employee should be able to perform certain tasks independently, within an expected time frame. In addition to becoming proficient at their new job description, your new hire must show that they are able and willing to work well with their colleagues and show courtesy and respect to both the patients and their fellow workers.
Despite your best efforts to integrate your new hire into your work force, they may fall short of your expectations and you may discover that this individual is not suited to your organization. In this case, your most important task is to document each instance where the employee has fallen short of expectations. Your report should be in writing and you should meet with the employee and explain how they have not met your expectations and obtain their signature post meeting. A careful record of problems will avoid any labor issues in the future should you decide to terminate this employee.
You may want to consider whether or not an employee who does not show promise for their hired job description may be able to make a good fit elsewhere in your organization. Perhaps they have show a particular talent in working with patients, or they are not great with patients, but are highly skilled at obtaining referrals or pre-certifications. Since they have already become familiar with your office and your other employees, it will save you additional training. Alert the employee to the possibility that you are considering them for an alternative position and should this new position hold a lower salary or benefit level, make sure they have a clear understanding of the ramifications of a lateral move and agree to it in writing. Assure the employe that this change does not represent a demotion, but an attempt to keep them employed at a job where their particular skills may be better represented.
If all else fails and you must terminate the employee, you would be wise to provide them with copies of your evaluations and discuss their positive skills and suggest that they may be better suited to a different type of employment. Unless there has been a clear cut violation of the policies and procedures in your employee handbook, or instances of behavior that you have stated hold zero tolerance, it is never necessary to treat a terminated employee with anything less than courtesy and respect.
It is never easy for someone to lose a job and the employee often feels humiliated and deeply hurt that they could not meet the practice expectations. Your purpose is not to demean any individual but to express appreciation for their efforts and to suggest that their particular skill set is not suited to your office needs. Make sure that you provide your employee with an exit interview and information necessary to obtain Cobra coverage, if your office has provided health insurance or other benefits that the employee may want to continue to receive. In cases, where immediate dismissal is not an issue, you will want to give the employee some notice prior to their last day of work. You may want to restrict their computer access during their last days or even simplify their job description. Assure them that they will be paid, according to the payroll schedule for any last days of work. Do not hold paychecks hostage, even if your employee did not respond well to their dismissal or chose not to finish out their last days.
Remember the way you treat your former employees reflects as strongly on the practice as your treatment of your present ones. You will find that even terminated employees will be gracious when it comes to the practice reputation if you treat them with a sense of genuine loss and disappointment that their skills did not match your needs.
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