I don't think I can fire him for that. In Melanie's situation, she had enough of the lackluster performance, but like many small company owners she had no experience firing workers. Would the new blood in the work environment help speed up production, help uplift the group spirit of the entire business? It is important that you gather all prior documentation on job performance and disciplinary measures. And, sometimes, you can't find the fraud, or the worker never screws up enough to sack. Downsizing is reducing your small company's employees.

By sticking to policy and giving written warnings, workforce know that they are just a few bad decisions away from losing their job, and most of the time will reform their behavior. If counseling does not reveal a valid reason for poor performance or reveals a problem that cannot be resolved, you must issue a documented warning and place in the worker's Human resources folder. Department heads and supervisors have much personal risk in worker separations. Although an unpleasant task, sole proprietors and Human resource Managers can approach separating an employee in a well thought out way. But, if a worker physically threatens or extends physical harm onto a boss or owner, this should always result in an immediate firing. As a owner or personnel personnel, you must find your threshold then decide a course of action for what some believe to be the "hardest" part of the job-firing the unwanted employee. For example, you can sack someone for being a Dallas Cowboys fan - obviously a stupid reason unless, unquestionably, you live in Washington DC:). Even verbal business policy can offer you protection so long as you can prove that everyone heard the do's and don't's in the small company work place. For any firing, you should write a professional and documented lay off memorandum. First, I don't recommend the lay off supervisor as the exit interviewer.