12 Reasons Why Employers Fire Employees
with
Moruf Kolawole Nasir
(Experienced HR professional)
nmkolawole@gmail.com; jarushub@gmail.com
Hello comrades! Let’s not be one-sided, this week is for the currently employed here we go:
Getting laid off is the worst thing that could happen to any employee considering the stiff competition in the labour market and what job seekers go through before they eventually land a job irrespective of the colour of the job’s collar (Lol). It is for this reason that this edition of HR Desk identifies a dozen reasons why employers fire their employees.
1. Non-conformity To Company Culture: Peter Drucker once said “Company cultures are like country cultures. Never try to change one. Try instead to work with what you have got”. This is not far from the reality. If after undergoing all the necessary orientation in a company (formally and otherwise), you still find it difficult to blend with the values and modus operandi of the company, you will, in no time, realize you are working in isolation and no company wants to keep a loner in her system.
2. Damaging Company Property: Just this week, one of our drivers was transferred for always having issues with the car he drives then. It is that bad. If you always find yourself in stories revolving around damaging of company’s property, then be preparing for your exit. Either the damage is intentional or not. In fact, if intentional be saving some money separately to pay for damages as well.
3. Falsification of Result/Credentials: Every Employer bases his/her hiring decision on Applicants’ claims both on paper and during interview, while it is the norm to beef up CVs to make them look better, it is expected that that is done without injecting false information or presenting forged certificates. Unfortunately not all employers go through the rigor of verifying all your claims and certificates in to-to at inception. Whenever any of these forgeries is discovered it becomes necessary for the employer to relieve such employee. A very prominent company in Lagos once did a general verification of the documents of their management staff and realized almost half of them had cloned documents, and for that all the affected staff were fired.
4. Lack of integrity/Telling Lies: Despite how religious we are in this part of the world and the position of our faiths on lies telling, an average Nigerian can barely survive a day without lies. When this follows employee to his place of work, and it becomes a normal thing that is apparent, then such employee is preparing his/her exit move. Once employer establishes this pattern of behavior in his/her employee, the trust dissolves. And when employer no longer trusts his/her employee, there is no point keeping such employee any further.
5. Personality Issues:This may not necessarily be the fault of the employee; unfortunately, it is one of the top reasons why people get fired in most companies. If your employer has issues with you for whatever reason (he may not just like how you dress or your face, etc), you are gone. Sadly HR Managers are the bearers of those messages and that they have to do with letters justifying the termination. Luckily employment at will (we will discuss this some other time) covers their action if the order if from the employer. If however, it is from a ‘big boss’, then HR Managers could go the extra mile of calling for fair hearing or arguing for best practice, just that in most cases the wishes of the ‘Ogas’ prevail-especially in one man businesses. If you find yourself having issues with your employer or Oga at the top, then be counting your days in such environment or find a way to resolve the issue.
6. Inability to Deliver/ Do the Job:If an employee, after training, coaching, repeated practice, and a reasonable amount of time for feedback, demonstrates that he/she cannot perform the fundamental requirements of the position, such employee is always shown the way out. This affect Marketers most because they work with target, and that to a large extent constitutes the yardstick for measuring their performance, and sadly no employer wants to keep a non-performing employee. And for non-marketers, there are various Key Performance Indicators put in place by different organizations to measure staff ability to do their assigned jobs, if these yardsticks show that a hire cannot do the job he/she gets hired for, he/she is always shown the way out. Although other measure must have been used to put the person to use maybe elsewhere-depending on the company though.
7. Ignoring Company’s Code of Conduct/ Unethical Behaviours: It is part of the right of employers to state what their code of conducts are, and it is part of the responsibilities of employees to conform to this. When for instance a company’s code of conduct forbids staff from receiving gift from clients, any staff who indulges in such act is preparing his/her sack letter. Similarly behaving unethically like taking bribe, bullying co-workers, disregards for little things like dress code, etc may be just the little thing your employer needs to get rid of your ugly face.
8. Habitual Lateness: When an employer hires you he does so because he wants you at work. No doubt, some jobs have flexible hours and allow employees to come and go as they please as long as they get their work done, but most jobs require your punctuality. Cases of employees being fired for reporting for work late abound, and fine imposition for lateness as well. They are pointers to the extent to which employers detest reporting late for work. If you are always going to work late, it is time to adjust or be preparing for the unexpected.
9. Always Calling in Sick/ or Always Having Attendance Issues: No doubt everybody has personal issues/problem, but when your issues start becoming the problem of the company, your employer will not hesitate to throw you out at the slightest opportunity. With the corrupt practices in our system Doctors’ report is now at everybody’s beck and call. To make matters ‘good’, labour law gives 12 days grace annually for sick leave, despites these, some employees still abuse it by raising one issue or the other to add to the largesse. If you are enjoying this‘awoof’, trust me your employer is not happy that you are not always there at all times. He/she won’t hesitate to replace you at the slightest opportunity.
10. Not Respecting Chain of Command: Early this year, a junior staff was sent on a two week suspension for not carrying out orders of a superior. This almost cost him his job. The chain of command is there for a reason- so people have bosses who can guide them and so that there will be order in the office. While you may feel entitled to an opinion or smarter than your boss it is never a good idea to overstep someone who is higher in the chain of command than you. Just as you are supposed to respect your elders you need to respect those in higher positions. It might just be how you talk to your superior and even in some instances not greeting your superior is enough disrespect. Your superior may not be able to fire you immediately, but trust me; two captains cannot master a ship. Incidentally, this reason is also among the top reasons why people get fired.
11. Lacks Commitments: Irrespective of the deliverables and challenges of carrying out assigned duties, a committed employee stands a better chance than a non-committed one. If showing up for work or finishing a project as scheduled is always an issue for you, then you are an issue to your employer. Sure, everyone misses deadline occasionally, but the best employees keep their boss informed about the challenges along the way and renegotiate due dates as needed. Whenever it is obvious that your commitment to work is in doubt be rest assured that your continued stay in that employment is shaky.
12. Stealing or Using Company’s Property for Personal Use: Kleptomania has no place in the corporate setting. No company wastes time in sacking a staff caught stealing. A mild form of it is using company’s property for personal use, the gravity of the punishment for this is dependent on individual company, it ranges from reprimand to outright relieve of the employee.
Always remember “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn”.
Other cases from HR DESK
What you need to know about annual leave
I am being deprived of my annual leave, what should I do?
HR DESK: My employer cuts my pay, what should I do?
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