Should You Fire a Bad Hire?

How can you tell when you should dig in and help a struggling new hire improve, or when it’s better to terminate their employment? Consider these four steps:

• Reevaluate their onboarding experience. At around 30 days, it’s still early enough to give them the benefit of the doubt and make sure they’re receiving the support they need to succeed.
• Seek advice from a mentor. Before making any decisions, it’s helpful to consult a trusted mentor who can offer you an objective opinion from a place of experience.
• Communicate with your manager. In addition to seeking the counsel of a mentor, it’s also important to “manage up” through ongoing conversations with your boss to keep them apprised of your concerns. This way, you’ll not only get the benefit of their advice and support, but you’ll also ensure they’re not caught off guard if you end up terminating the new hire’s employment.
• Check your gut feeling. Knowing today what you know now about the role and the employee, would you enthusiastically rehire this person for the same role?