got somebody fired today

[globetrotter]

not my best day - there was an emplyee of my company, didn't report to me but I was her sole internal customer. she was really bad at her job, and I have been struggling with it for more than a year. I tried hard to help her get better, then I just gave up and worked at getting her posiiton outsourced. not very happy about it - she is a woman in her late forties or maybe early 50's, I am sure she really needed the job. but she was really lousy at it and in the end I am hoping that she will get a job that is better suited to her abilities.

 

[gdl203]

That sucks. Is there something else within the company that you feel she would have been good at? Any opportunity to transition her to another position?

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by gdl203

That sucks. Is there something else within the company that you feel she would have been good at? Any opportunity to transition her to another position?

Obviously not.

 

[FLMountainMan]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

not my best day - there was an emplyee of my company, didn't report to me but I was her sole internal customer. she was really bad at her job, and I have been struggling with it for more than a year. I tried hard to help her get better, then I just gave up and worked at getting her posiiton outsourced. not very happy about it - she is a woman in her late forties or maybe early 50's, I am sure she really needed the job. but she was really lousy at it and in the end I am hoping that she will get a job that is better suited to her abilities.

Always tough to do, and especially hard in this economy. But you did the right thing, and a more deserving person will get the job.

 

[Monaco]

I'm sure it would've been easier for you if she would've been a *****. Its unfortunate for her though, was there any sort of company procedural manual that you could've given her for a re-training? Did you at least warn her that you had to report her if she didn't get better?

 

[Kvc06]

I'll take the job

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by gdl203

That sucks. Is there something else within the company that you feel she would have been good at? Any opportunity to transition her to another position?

the big problem is that she was hired for this specific job, and didn't have the right qualifications. I guess anything else in the company that she cold do would pay substantially less.

we did try, extensivly, to help her get better at the job. its not an easy situaiton - she lacked the ability to multitask and the attention to detail that the job requires, and at her age a person doesn't abtain those traits.

 

[MrG]

I'm sure that's tough, but it sounds like you did what you could to help her. Sometimes people just aren't good at a particular task, and they need to move on. If this woman wasn't hacking it, and she didn't realize it, then you did what you had to do.

 

[Syl]

Don't feel bad. Someone who's not capable of doing a job shouldn't be there. If you tried your best to improve her and it didn't work, she wasn't deserving of the job, regardless of her personal situation, age etc.

 

[Tangfastic]

I find it strangely reassuring that Globetrotter periodically posts an ethical management dilemma, it's nice to know someone somewhere actually cares about what they're doing.

 

[holymadness]

If she was hired specifically for that job yet lacked the ability to do it, someone in HR needs to get fired, too.

 

[hossoso]

Who outsourced your spelling and grammar?

 

[kronik]

Originally Posted by holymadness

If she was hired specifically for that job yet lacked the ability to do it, someone in HR needs to get fired, too.

....

How long have you been working?

 

[holymadness]

Originally Posted by kronik

....

How long have you been working?

More than a decade, why?

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Syl

Don't feel bad. Someone who's not capable of doing a job shouldn't be there. If you tried your best to improve her and it didn't work, she wasn't deserving of the job, regardless of her personal situation, age etc.
I agree. In the long run you did her and the company a favor. I hate to see people fired, but if it's not a good fit, then it needs to be done.