What is, or should be, the fastest way for an employee to earn a going-away party at work?
Think about that for a moment...
One of the immediate offenses that may come to mind would be to endanger the safety of others. If you said this, then yes, I would tend to agree. Such an incident could be grounds for immediate termination, particularly if it was willful.
Other possibilities that come to mind for employers are acts such as harassment and theft. These too could easily rise to the level that would warrant quick termination, depending on the circumstances.
The less obvious answer where many business leaders decide to give second, third, and even fourth chances to employees that need correction is the following:
The willful violation of company core values.
Your likely initial thought is, “That’s crazy, we wouldn’t terminate someone for that!” If that’s truly the case, then it’s time to re-evaluate your core values because something is out of sync... either the response or the core values themselves.
For organizations that want to operate in the most productive manner possible, core values need to truly be at the “core” of every decision they make. Employee decisions, product or service decisions, growth or stabilization decisions, etcetera must be in alignment with the values that have been agreed upon by upper management. This includes decisions by everyone at every level within the organization. They all must be in alignment with the core values if the organization is to thrive.
When an individual makes a decision that willfully conflicts with the core values, they hurt the organization and arguably all the people as well. Either the action is wrong, or the core values aren’t true. Either way, there is a central conflict that will cause problems. Something needs to be changed.
So do we terminate someone immediately for making a decision contrary to the values? That is where the word “willful” is key. I tend to fall on the forgiving side, so I would say that it’s not the first willful violation but rather the second. It’s possible that the individual doesn’t understand the importance of the core values, so one pass is warranted. However, if it is done a second time after it’s already been addressed, then the individual is choosing to show disrespect for the values of the company. That should be grounds for termination at any organization, regardless of other performance factors.
This is where many of us as owners waver on our decisions. Sure, we would terminate someone for safety issues, harassment, or theft, but to terminate them because of a disagreement with words-on-the-wall...? It all gets back down to how important those core values truly are. If they really are your “core values”, then we must treat them as such. If they aren’t truly your core values, then that is a topic for another post someday.
If you would benefit from assistance with determining core values for your organization, please reach out to us on our Contact Page or Scheduling Page. We would be happy to help.
Until next time, and as always, I wish you the best in your business.
Mark Goldman
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