I Hate Having to Fire Her
Firing an underperforming employee is best for both parties in many cases. The cultural diversity hire makes the decision complicated. According to an article published by The Hartford Smallbiz Ahead, the typical list of telltale signs that an employee needs to be released include:¹
- They’re always late.
- They’re often absent.
- They don’t fit your company culture or disrupt productivity.
- You discover that they don’t meet the requirements of the job description.
- They are constantly instigating problems with peers and/or spreading gossip.
The recommendation to fire an employee showing the signs may work reasonably well in a monocultural workplace. It is questionable decision in the modern, culturally diverse organization. That’s because cultural diversity increases the complexity of managing people, especially in hiring and firing decision making. A one size fits all approach is unlikely to work when it comes to managing culturally diverse talent. Creating an organization in which people of different cultures can bring their whole selves to work in the service of productivity is ideal. It is easy to hire cultural diversity talent. Taking full advantage of the promise the talent offers and maintaining collegiality and civility require cultural diversity management techniques.²
Managing cultural diversity talent means knowing the difference between an employee displaying the above telltale signs and one for which firing is the best option. An argument can be made that until the manager or supervisor has sufficient inclusion and belonging skills, relying on performance improvement coaching to address underperforming diverse candidates will likely be the best option.
Latino Americans are more likely as a group to feel obligated to take care of elderly or a close friend, for example, which can strain attempts to balance showing a commitment to work and fulfilling the rewards of close relationships (PBS Poll, 2014). An insensitive manager with a tunnel view about what makes an employee valuable will likely fall victim to the revolving door of hiring and losing culturally diverse talent.
Based in more than two decades of helping clients manage diverse talent and my inclusion and belonging expertise, I offer the following list of signs that diverse talent needs coaching instead of being fired.
- They’re always late.
- They’re often absent.
- They don’t fit your company culture or disrupt productivity.
- You discover that they don’t meet the requirements of the job description.
- They are constantly instigating problems with peers and/or spreading gossip.
Yep, it is the same list.
You see the typical signs that an employee doesn’t fit in may actually be signaling that the workplace does not offer diverse talent a sense of belonging. Why? Diverse talent in an organization for which they are few in number tends to be:
- Sensitive to power dynamics.
- Sensitive to feeling understood by their supervisors.
- Want others to acknowledge that they are doing the best that they can.
- Want the same treatment as others, but in ways that fit their needs.
- Want their differences to be acknowledged without a sense that it is a problem.
These may actually be indicators that the organization is failing to take full advantage of the individual’s talents. The manager that listens to a diverse employer displaying the typical telltale list of reasons to let them go, is signaling that the individual is valued, they are genuinely interested in hearing what is causing the difficulties and open to their suggestions for addressing their concerns. This is the manager that is will be well on the way to turning a difficult employee into a productive one.
Avoid missed opportunities to retain diverse talent. Think out of the box and become curious about why your diverse employees may be underperforming. The more you listen, the more you will start to see patterns that help you recognize the telltale signs and determine the best outcome for the employee – which may or may not end up being firing them.
Resources
¹The Hartford Smallbiz Ahead. 5 Signs It’s Time to Fire an Employee. April 17, 2017. http://sba.thehartford.com/managing-employees/5-signs-its-time-to-fire-an-employee/?cmp=EMC-SC-SBA-36776353&MA=NR&eml=1
² DTUI.com. The Top Ten Reasons Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Fail. Diversity Officer Magazine. http://diversityofficermagazine.com/cultural-competence/diversitypedia/why-diversity-inclusion-initiative-fails/
About the Author
Billy Vaughn, Ph.D. CDP CDE is an award-winning cultural diversity and inclusion psychologist. He is the senior managing partner for Diversity Training University International (dtui.com), Editor in chief of Diversity Officer Magazine (diversityofficermagazine.com), and Executive Director for the Diversity Executive Leadership Academy (diversityexecutiveacademy.com). You can a learn more about him at http://dtui.com/billy-bio/.