CASPer Scenario For Discussion #51

[PrepMatch]

Sarah is a grocery store manager. One of her employees, George, has been under-performing from the very beginning. He is constantly late, misses shifts, and has been slacking in completing his required tasks. Sarah decided to let him go as an employee.​

1. Should Sarah break the news to him, or should this be done through a third-party such as a Human Resources representatives?
2. If you are an employer, would you fire an employee that is underperforming due to circumstances they can't control? (e.g. they just became a parent and are constantly late because they are up all night)
3. Describe a time you had to break bad news to someone and how you approached it.

Discuss Below !!

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[sgdx_]

1 - I think it may be better for her safety if it happens through a third party or at least with one there. Being done by/with a third party might also make it less personal so he isn't offended and HR would probably be more familiar with next steps for him to take.
2 - Of course better to talk with them first. Try to work out a compromise, maybe different hours, put them in touch with resources in the community etc. If this doesn't help the situation then yes, it may be necessary unfortunately. Important to still set them up with resources, etc.
3 - Does anyone have some advice on questions like this (Tell me about a time when ___ )? Every time I come across one it's like I instantly forget everything that's ever happened in my life even though I'm sure I've given bad news at some point...

 

[maikelm]

3 - Does anyone have some advice on questions like this (Tell me about a time when ___ )? Every time I come across one it's like I instantly forget everything that's ever happened in my life even though I'm sure I've given bad news at some point...

I agree that this is a difficult question. Ironically, I was placed in a situation in which I had one of my employees constantly underperform on a project at work. We gave her many attempts and we tried to teacher her how she preferred. It went on for a few weeks, but there were mistakes made left and right constantly. I spoke with her in a private manner about in the past, but then I spoke with her at the final moment. During the last encounter, I told her "we're removing you from this project, as there's been many errors that is impacting patient care." She was not happy at all with me, but my suggestion was to move her onto another project, which she was hesitant on. Luckily, it worked out that she performed better on this second project. This could be due to her fear that she was going to dismissed completely or the fact that it interested her.
In hindsight, I should have my manager with me during the conversation, as it would be good to have an external person with an external lens.
Overall, it was tough. But approaching it with sincerity and humbleness are the right steps.

I recommend you write down the different positions you held, and where you had leadership experiences. And then you can find a time when something similar came up.