Managing the resignation of a problem worker

A poor performer has resigned with a 30-day advance notice. Is it a good idea to forego the advance notice and allow the person to leave immediately? — Cloud Harbor.

You are in luck. You don’t have to perform the unpleasant job of disciplining the person. Yes, of course. In many cases, it’s a positive move to waive or even shorten the notice period and require an immediate departure, especially for a poor performer.

That’s on the condition that you release his terminal pay and do a proper turnover. Better if you ask him to take paid leave even if he does not have enough leave credits.

It’s called “gardening leave” or staying away from the workplace and refraining from working. He will still be on the payroll during the 30-day period. If you allow a disengaged employee to stay within that period, it may create more problems than necessary. There are many reasons for this:

One, advance notice is for the employer’s protection. The law requires it to ensure a proper transition in appointing a replacement worker, training that person, and allowing turnover of documents, equipment, and other tools previously entrusted to the resigned worker.

That means the employer can waive such an obligation, if warranted under the circumstances.

Two, limited value from the person’s continued presence. A poor performer at that late stage is unlikely to deliver outstanding performance. At times, even knowledge transfer or handover of pending tasks may pose certain issues.

That’s due to their low motivation. And his output can decline further, errors may increase, and residual tasks may require rework.

Three, a poor performer can demotivate others. He can demoralize the team and department by spreading negative vibes, distract colleagues, and in many cases pose security or data risks.

You’ll understand this as soon as that problem worker is gone. Morale and higher productivity is bound to improve.

Four, needless consumption of management time. Supervising someone who has already checked out consumes a lot of energy which should be better spent on hiring a replacement, redistributing work assignment, and supporting remaining employees.

If not, management should reflect on why it failed to correct the employee’s poor performance early on.

Understanding all of the above, let go of the resigned employee right away. Document it in writing. Accept the resignation and state that you are waiving the employer’s protection. Set very clear expectations in your acceptance letter, including the date and time you plan to release terminal pay and encashed benefits, as well as sign a quitclaim.

Require a structured knowledge-transfer, preferably within one day. That includes documented key notes, list and status of pending tasks, return of identification card, uniforms (even if they’re already worn out), gate pass, computer, mobile phone, and other equipment.

Then, reassign critical work promptly to another worker. In every step of the way, keep everything objective and professional. This reduces the chance of a labor dispute.

EXIT INTERVIEW
Don’t commit the mistake of conducting an exit interview with the resigned underperformer. What for? There’s little or no value in it, while consuming limited operational resources. Besides, it’s already too late to know and understand a worker’s underperformance for the following reasons:

One, low objectivity and defensiveness. Departing poor performers rarely offer quality feedback. Instead, his response tends to skew toward lingering complaints or deflection of responsibility. That makes the feedback unreliable for use in organizational improvement.

Two, the risk of an awkward confrontation. No matter how good management intentions are, an exit interview could fuel old issues or lead to an emotional re-litigation of past performance reviews.

Three, wasted resources. Management time should be devoted towards improving retention strategies for current top performers and onboarding high-potential recruits or internal replacements.

Four, complete documented issues. This presupposes that poor performance has been properly documented and discussed with the problem employee, like the result of a Performance Improvement Plan or similar reviews.

BOTTOM LINE
When a problem worker resigns, waive the 30-day advance notice rule and release him fast. Prioritize a clean, legal exit that saves team sanity and respect. There is no powerful reason for management to force a resigned worker to finish pending work. As I said earlier, it rarely produces good results and often demotivates others who are doing a good job.

Therefore, prioritize a clean, controlled exit procedure guided by specific applicable social and labor legislation. This ensures professional courtesy and mutual respect for both the former employee and management.

 

Consult Rey Elbo for free. E-mail elbonomics@gmail.com or DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or via https://reyelbo.com. Anonymity is guaranteed, if requested.

Managing the resignation of a problem worker
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