By Amanda Ross

While firing a problem staff member is definitely an option, before you go there, make sure you can’t save the situation. Sometimes all it takes is a little more direction or more details on the expectations to make them a great team member.

If you decide that there is no other choice, here are a few tips to getting it done.

1. Man/Woman-up: Face-to-face is the only way to fire someone. Do not send them a “You’re fired” email or text message no matter how tech-savvy you are. Get your grown-up face on and meet them in person to get this done. No matter what the issues are, they deserve your full attention.

I know it’s tough; I’ve been there. Every single time I’ve had to do this I’ve lost sleep over it …and I should.

You’re changing someone’s life, making him or her feel wrong, unwanted and unimportant. You need to take that very seriously and treat it with as much dignity and respect as possible.

Will they still freak out and possibly cry? Perhaps. Will they think you’re the worst person in the entire world? Very likely. Will they tell everyone that they did nothing wrong and can’t believe this happened? Probably.

But none of that matters if you were honest with them, straightforward about why and respectful during the discussion. That’s all you can do.

2. Don’t “blind side”: While they are likely going to be surprised, they should be able to step back and see some signs along the way due to your diligence in coaching them and enforcing your expectations. Many companies do performance reviews on a yearly basis and that’s when they unload any and all problems. Doing it this way is shocking to the employee; they’ll be hurt and confused if you wait until then.

Instead, as issues happen, you should be letting them know what went wrong and what you expect as their employer. You should also document each of these discussions by the date and include the facts of the discussion.

Every review, all staff should feel fairly confident about where the discussion will go due to your regular contact with them about their performance. A small word of advice – do not reprimand anyone in front of others; always take them aside and discuss it in private.

3. KISS: This rule works here – Keep It Simple Silly! During the act of firing, the actual meeting, do not spend too long getting to the point or re-hashing every little issue. They already feel vulnerable, angry and hurt; reminding them of all the reasons why they can’t stay will only make it worse.

Just rip the Band-Aid off. Focus on facts. Remove emotions, no matter how hard this might be for everyone involved. Be honest, but kind. Be firm, but gentle. But get it done.

4. Walk the line: When it’s over, walk them out of the office. This is important because, unfortunately, you never know how someone will react. You need to do your best to move them through the office quickly and with as little drama as possible.

Sometimes it goes smoothly…other times not so much!

There was a time where the employee I let go was sad and surprised, but also understood, as she knew it wasn’t really working on both sides and she was beautifully gracious as she left the office.

But one of the other times I had to go through this process, it didn’t go so smoothly. The employee (even though I had spoken to her multiple times about the same issue) was completely crushed. She cried and stormed out, all while yelling lovely things about me to anyone who would listen – cussing like a trucker! I just kept a calm demeanour, moved her through the office and out the door.

All you can do is keep your professional hat on and keep them moving.

5. Keep it to yourself: Letting someone go is always dramatic, but you are the boss and you need to maintain the professional atmosphere. Avoid discussing it with anyone else.

This was a confidential discussion and the reasons you let them go are your own. Their reaction was their own. They can choose to tell everyone and their brother, but you can’t.

Your next goal will be to ensure that the rest of your staff are feeling confident that they’re not next, because they will be quite nervous about that. You need everyone to know that what happened was an unfortunate part of business, but all is well, and it’s business as usual.

Amanda Ross is the owner and CES (creator, educator and strategist) of RealtyBoost (www.RealtyBoost.ca), where she helps brokerages and sales reps build strong brands, smart strategies, and more knowledge that brings value to their clients. Follow her on Twitter, @ImAmandaR and/or RealtyBoost at @RealtyBoostCA.