Firing a Long-Term Employee is Hard — But It's Necessary. Here's Why. If you have an employee who has been with you for years, they are often "rock star" performers. But, there are times when your long-termers can become bad performers over time.
By George Deeb Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Key Takeaways
- You must act swiftly during times like this, even though your "heart" is rooting for a turnaround for your "friend and family" staff.
- It is never easy to cut employees, especially long-termers who you view as "friends and family" of the company. But, sometimes, you just have no choice.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I consulted a client who had to do something they had never done before — they had to cut a long-term employee who had been with the company for over five years. Once an employee has been with a company for that length of time, they have become "family," which is the equivalent of cutting your "brother or sister."
Most employees who get to five years of service must have been doing something right during their employment; otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted that long. But things can change. In this case, the employee was no longer a high performer; they had quickly become a poor performer, causing broader challenges for the business, as described below. This post will teach you how to handle situations like these and why cutting your "brother or sister" may be your only option.
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