The usual answer is “depending on the situation.” But, actually, a Manager does not really need to wait for long before firing an employee for poor performance. [S]He may do it during work hours now as long as the poor-performing employee is under probationary period. At any point in time during probationary period, an employee may be fired practically now for poor performance by the Manager. It is one of those management prerogatives built-in in an employer-employee relationship, no matter how heartless-sounding this idea can be to some.
However, there are other considerations that a Manager has to weigh and look into before firing an employee due to poor performance. Check first the contract if there is one that's written, and find out clues included and implied in the provisions that will be helpful in coming up with a stronger decision to fire an employee. If there is no written contract, seek legal advise. Give due notice, following the prescribed legal process. Seek advise from your direct superior first, and come up with a doable formula. Consult with HR people. Sound off the employee concerned. Set a clear time-frame, and take action.
A Manager does not need to dilly dally on his / her decision to fire an employee for poor performance, unless there are other conditions coming into play. The Manager’s performance will also be questioned, and may probably cost him / her job when reviewed by higher ranking officers. It is one of the reasons why organizations fail - Managers dilly-dally on firing poor performers in their team. A poor performer will have impact on the over-all performance of the team as keeping a poor performer in the team is actually sending out a signal to other members that it is 'OK to perform below par.'
Do your researches on the best performing companies the world around. They may not be saying it loud but they are known to be very experienced in terms of firing poor performing employees. Firing poor performing employee is a skill ought to be learned fast by a good and effective Manager. You hear and read about this from the best known and emulated Managers, including Jack Welch who used to head General Electric. In addition, this event happens in most organizations, including those in the political arena. As soon as an employee’s poor performance is known by stakeholders or people in general, the Manager has no option but to fire the said employee as soon as possible. But there are many creative ways of doing this, which is beyond the scope of this article.
But why would Managers have qualms on firing their employees with poor performance?
1) There is no direct replacement in sight who can do the job right away of the one who is soon-to-be-fired.
2) The family of the employee "will get hungry", which reason can bring guilt feelings to the Manager.
3) The work dynamics will become messy and undesirable.
4) One frequently heard reason is because firing is actually one of those most dreadful, difficult tasks given a Manager who is expected to show his / her worth as a leader when called upon to implement this kind of decision.
Come to realize soon the critical implications of firing an employee due to poor performance. Decide to fire the said employee now, or else, your job will be soon next in line.