Your staff, the biggest asset in the business, but what if one of them goes astray, their attitude or their ego ‘gets in the way….’ (for some) or what if they just become blasé about things and their performance fades. Both viewpoints might be seen as troublesome, and for some the thought of ousting the employee looms large.

If your organisation has guidelines about these things then it should be fairly straight forward process, or if there are workplace laws, then you will have guidelines to follow.

Interestingly even though you may have suitable policies and procedures in place it does not mean happiness all round, in fact it can lead to bigger issues.

The simple answer is to follow the guidelines and be squeaky clean in how the ‘recalcitrant’ staff member is ousted. If push come to legal shove you will have done the right thing and the situation will blow over, however if you haven’t, watch out as it comes back to haunt you in ways you probably wish you hadn’t dreamt of.

To illustrate, may I provide a story? Thanks. Let’s go back to the start, a staff member works their way up through the ranks and gets to a position of ‘responsibility’. In the main rightly deserved, having garnered extra qualifications and skills along the way. They are lauded by some, lambasted by others who find their showiness to egotistical, their ability to “fall into the spotlight” too over the top. The organisation benefits but those who see the grandstanding as too much start to build a resentment.

Other staff find the spotlight this employee “positively shines on the organisation” too much, their performance against this ‘Leviathan’ is such they feel they can not compete. Perhaps they see the person in ‘Power” as a threat to their own ambitions and carefully retreat to plot a move… conniving politics in the workplace, not good, in fact the situation can quickly become untenable, but their own gains are what they see as paramount. They mount various challenges but are caught out by a more worthy opponent each time.

They plot a ‘fresh attack’when things change in the department. So far so smooth, now it’s hotting up. In a flurry of backstabbing, murmurs and innuendoes the once ‘relatively’ cohesive team becomes some form of fire breathing behemoth. In a nasty emotion filled flurry the good people in HR are dragged into the situation (kicking and screaming), the CEO or ‘other’ is also called in to the fray.

It turns out that the whole situation brewing over time has come to a head with the staff crying foul and calling for an end, but they have played the OHS trump card “We can’t work with ‘the Leviathan’ anymore”. With the weight of numbers and short term ‘at hand’ issues to be resolved the ‘political landscape’ has altered. Now the almighty Leviathan who has championed great causes is soon to become a slaughtered ‘sacred cow’. There is blood on the streets folks and it’s getting on too many hands, hands which at the start of the day were clean, manicured, personable, reasonable perhaps, are now becoming stained deeply.

The good team in HR along with the CEO or other, put their hands up to say stop, a quick exit for our ‘hero’ ensues. They stop the short term emotional ‘bun fight’ but have failed to use a fair and reasonable approach in implementing procedures and policies.

They stand with blood stained hands and gather their thoughts, thoughts like “what have we just done?” or “whoa, glad that’s over…” While our Leviathan leaves wounded and bleeding, he is smitten and vows revenge. Wo betide those who think they can cross the warrior, not fatally wound them and think that this is the end. In fact little do they realise this is probably just the beginning.

The stained hands do not wash clean, and the vague aroma of rotting blood soon becomes an infuriating stench, burning nostrils and causing bad memories to surface and tear at their emotions. Did they do the right thing? Did they fail in their ‘duty of care’. Did they act on emotion rather than logic…

In the harsh bright light of day, our Warrior will stand accused, the organisation will have a strong hand pointing at them with malice, revenge and intent. The organisation had better be in a clear factual position to defend their scurrilous actions or face a force so driven they will rue the day they slipped and went for a short term answer to what is clearly a long term situation.

This story should serve as a reminder, do not take the short term position on what could become a long  term ‘thorn in their side’. Follow procedures good people and let a fair and reasonable approach ensue so those in positions of responsibility can stand with clear conscience on these matters, and not be watching their backs every step of the way.