After recovering from the pandemic and many companies taking a huge hit both financially and employment-wise, we understand that as a manager, you have high standards for who you want in your business, and you strive to hire people who are able to perform well.
In terms of the market that we specialise in, there are not many candidates and employers are allowing a lack of work experience to blind them into firing new employees. So, while they may have the linguistic skills you require, they may lack expertise in other areas. And your solution as their boss? You believe the best approach is to just let them go. Once they’re gone, you realise the lack of ‘replacement candidates’ in the market. Before making haste decisions, consider the following first:
- Talk to the agency that placed them first as well as the employee directly – Can you resolve the issue with a discussion? There is potential to find a solution to your problems without eliminating the candidate from the equation entirely. Ask the agency what options there are for replacement or how the available candidate market is looking in order to make an informed decision. Bear in mind that letting someone go is right in some cases, but it shouldn’t be the first and automatic option. Ask yourself this: are you cutting off your nose to spite your face?
- Is it better to have 80% of the job done, or 0%? When you let staff go, 0% of the job is being done in the meantime while you search for a replacement. If there are problems and it’s not perfect, 80% of the job is being done. Therefore, you should weigh up whether it’s worth it for both you and the business to have something rather than nothing.
- Hiring again is time consuming – not only is the job not being done, but recruitment is time consuming, which is a reason why companies work with agencies in the first place. Consider if you can afford to endure the process again and wish to spend the time reposting the job ad and interviewing.
- Realise there is a significant candidate shortage in the market. Employers must be realistic about how many candidates there actually are, particularly if the role is office-based. The answer is: not that many. It’s possible there may not actually be a replacement for several months. Companies expect us as a recruitment company to be able to refill the role at the drop of a hat but sometimes we can’t because there just aren’t any candidates in the area.
Of course, you have to do what is right for you and your business and you shouldn’t ignore your gut feeling. However, always consider the challenges that may arise when making the decision to let someone go. Don’t rush the decision – it is important to remember that often times, ‘hire fast, fire fast’ is not the best philosophy to adopt.