by Rosemary Letson

Created on: August 20, 2010

There is not a definitive answer to this question.  Many factors must be taken into consideration before an employee’s employment is terminated.  Some of these dynamics include did the manager address the issues in a timely manner?  Was the company’s corrective action policy administered appropriately? Did the employee receive the appropriate retraining as promised? Did the employee demonstrate improvement but was then not able to sustain it?    

Ideally, as soon as an employee’s performance stops meeting the minimum expectations of a job on a regular and consistent basis, regardless if they are a new hire or a seasoned employee, the manager needs to address the issue.  Furthermore, to help the manager know what action to take, they should first assess the severity, the frequency, and its impact on the department and the organization.    

Here are the steps many companies have incorporated into their policies to address poor performance. 

Step #1   Coaching 

When an employee performs consistently below meeting expectations, the manager needs to meet with them privately, bring the issues to their attention, ask for their input and suggestions then provide guidance and possible retraining.  This phase is known as coaching.   Both parties should ideally agree upon a time frame that is fair for the individual to start demonstrating improvement.    

Step#2   Verbal Warning:  2 Weeks to 4 Weeks

If the employee fails to improve their performance, the manager then needs to move to the next level which is corrective action, or in some companies known as employee disciplinary action.   Typically, the manager issues a verbal warning and advises the individual that they need to demonstrate improvement or they could be placed on a formal written warning which could lead to further action up to and including termination.   The manager may set the timeframe in this instance or follow the period outlined in the company policy.

Step#3   Written Warning:  60 to 90 Days

If the employee continues to fail to demonstrate improvement and the manager has provided continual support and guidance, the employee may now be placed on Written Warning.  The length of time can range anywhere from sixty to ninety days depending on the policy and the situation. In addition, if an employee is showing improvement in some areas

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