For all of you small business owners who have had to deal with the ramifications of a disgruntled employee, Jamie Hurley has created his top tips on how to protect your business from these predators.
It’s been Jamie’s experience that most disgruntled employees HAVE been terminated for cause. It’s a simple fact of business. Truth be told; if these malcontents had put as much effort into their daily work as they do bad mouthing and slandering their past employers, then they wouldn’t have been let go to begin with. They would still be game-fully employed and working on turning their job into a career.
“As small business owners, we get ripped off too”, says Jamie. “Our time, energy and money spent on employees who simply don’t stack up to their resumes. “Where’s our outlet to tell the world about these individuals?” “How can we inform future employers of these people”, wonders Jamie. “How do we protect them from getting ripped off too?”
What used to set Jamie Hurley off more than anything was the coward-ness of these rip off artists and the online forums that allow them to say whatever they want without recourse or the burden of proof.
“It’s the world we live in”, lamented Jamie. “I mean it’s like yelling Fire in a crowded room. Sure, you have the right to say it, but you have a responsibility to not say it unless it’s true!” Jamie also had these words for those ex-employees who don’t play fair, “The things you say can have such a negative impact on business that the co-workers you shared your days with can be negatively affected. No one has the right to be so frivolous with someone else’s job.”
The long time business owner believes in the fair treatment of his employees and thinks that the laws of the land do a fantastic job protecting employees’ rights. “If you feel you’ve been treated unfairly then use the lawful tools at your disposal to protect yourself. But to just make stuff up or slander in order to vent your frustrations, that’s not civil and it’s not how adults should act”, concluded Jamie.
Jamie’s Top 3 Tips
Jamie’s Tip #1 – Background Checks! Money is tight and every extra expense must be justified, but if you can afford it, make sure to do a background check on any potential new hire.
Hurley’s cheap tip of the week: If you can’t afford the background check services, then get references. Professional references only please. Call each and every one of them and pay close attention. Come right on out and ask why the candidate left their last employer. What you’re looking for is consistency in their answers. You can find out a lot by just asking the right questions.
Jamie’s Tip #2 – Don’t get emotional. This has nothing to do with emotion. No one wants to have to fire anyone. But it happens. It maybe the worse part of owning a business doing business, but it’s business and like all other parts of business, it must be done professionally and only after strong consideration.
Jamie’s Tip #3 – Outline expectations! Create detailed job outlines and step by step acceptable levels of production. Make sure that the potential candidate has the necessary skill set in order to get the job done.
NOTE: Come back each Monday to see Jamie Hurley’s next tip of the week on how to protect your business from disgruntled employees.
