How to Fire Someone At Christmas Without Looking Like a Scrooge

We all think of the holidays as a happy time. It’s a time we spend with our families and friends, giving gifts, celebrating life, and enjoying the most delicious meals we’ll eat all year. When you’re an employer, you want this time of year to be nothing but magical. You dream of the smiles on your employees’ faces when you present them with big fat bonuses and invitations to the office holiday party.

Things don’t always go how we want them to, though. While it may be the holidays, your job doesn’t take a vacation. It’s up to you to make sure the workplace runs smoothly, and if things get out of hand, you may be forced to let an employee go. This is never easy, but it can be even more difficult during this season. So, how do you fire an employee without looking like a Scrooge? Let’s take a look.

Firing an Employee at Christmas

The first thing to remember if you’re forced to fire an employee at Christmas is that you aren’t alone. Other employers have been placed in this situation as well, and many didn’t handle it as well as they should have.

You’ve heard the stories. Like the one about the Christian woman who worked for a vacation rental company in Panama City. She refused to wish customers “Happy Holidays” and instead said “Merry Christmas.” While being fired for this may sound petty, the company didn’t fire her simply because she was standing up for her Christian values. They fired her because she ignored what her employer told her to do, and by doing so could have potentially cost the company loyal customers.

Or how about the New York fashion designer who attended the holiday office party for her work, drank a little too much, and began asking coworkers if they knew anyone who had any marijuana. While her employers tried to ignore this, since she wasn’t technically at work, they had no choice but to fire her after she showed up the next day at the office.

What do these stories tell you? As employers, they tell you that having to let someone go is sometimes necessary, even when the holiday season is upon us.

The trick is to know what your expectations are and draw that line before the holidays even arrive. In fact, make it a point to clearly state your expectations from the beginning. Regardless of the holidays or any other situation, certain behavior should always result in termination.

• Theft
• Bullying or putting others in danger
• Refusing to fulfill job duties
• Arriving at work under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Your list doesn’t have to look exactly like ours. Draw your own line. But make sure every employee knows that there are no “get out of jail free” cards when it comes to the workplace. They won’t be given a free pass because it’s their birthday or Christmas Eve. If they don’t follow your rules, they will be shown the door.

Doing this in advance will prevent you from looking like a Scrooge if you have to fire someone near Christmas. You’ll have the ability to point out that they knew the consequences of their actions, and they chose to put their job on the line.

If you’ve been forced to let go of one or more employees near the holiday season, don’t let your business take the hit. Hire new full time or temp staffing in Sarasota, Clearwater, Orlando, or St. Petersburg through our professional staffing service. We’ll make sure you have the workers you need to get through the busy holiday season.