Letting people go is something that no business leader likes to do. It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth of everyone involved.

But, sometimes, letting an employee go is doing both of you (them as much as you) a favour. That’s because it leaves them free to find a role they’re going to be good at and happy in, and it leaves you free to find somebody who will perform the role more effectively and be a much better fit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that you should get rid of people who are trying their best but need a little extra training, supervision, and patience to get it right. I’m just saying that if someone is patently not working well in your organisation, everyone else who works with them will be aware of it (which can have a negative effect on your team if you’re not careful), and, on some level, they'll already know this isn't the right place for them to be.

It's a bit like being in a bad relationship. How many people stay trapped in a bad relationship because they're afraid of the unknown, and it's better to be with the devil they know. Then, when the devil they know calls it quits, and they've got no other choice but to leave, they eventually meet the person they were always meant to be with? Or maybe they don't. Maybe they just adopt several cats and spend the rest of their days enjoying their own company and tiptoeing around cat crap. It doesn’t matter. Either way, they’ll undoubtedly know they’re in a better place now than before they got pushed out of their comfort zone. (Although you won’t be surprised to hear that I’m very happy to stick with business leadership and CliftonStrengths coaching; relationship counselling is unlikely to ever be my thing.)

Photograph of a puzzle board missing a piece

What’s a ‘bad fit’ employee?

A ‘bad fit’ employee is someone who doesn’t fit in with your company’s culture, doesn’t fit in with their co-workers, isn’t able to do what it takes to perform their role satisfactorily, and may even cause conflicts that harm the team dynamic and impact productivity and morale.

In a perfect world, you’ll have recognised and weeded out the potential ‘bad fit’ employees at the hiring stage, but that’s not always possible. Sometimes they’ll stay under the radar by telling you everything they know you’ll want to hear during the selection process and only revealing their true colours once they're sitting behind the desk. Or, sometimes, they won't even realise they're a bad fit until they're doing the job and face-to-face with the day-to-day reality of what the role entails. As an effective leader, you'll know what to do when that second scenario happens. If you see promise in them, and if there's somewhere else in your organisation where you know they'll be a better fit, it makes sense to move them into that other chair instead of getting rid of them entirely. Or, if their work is on par, but their attitude or the way they work is causing disputes among other members of the team, it's almost certainly worth a bit of extra team building or conflict resolution before you let them go.

But what about in this case?

It’s a pressure-driven workplace, and staying good-humoured and not taking things personally is an essential part of the job. Even if the team member is excellent at the nuts and bolts of their job, if they're thin-skinned or uncomfortable with their fellow team members, it might make them feel alienated (affecting their productivity) or create a tension that impacts the productivity of the whole office.

Does that make them a ‘bad fit’ employee? If it’s creating an issue that’s damaging your work culture and can’t be overcome, yes.

In other words, a ‘bad fit’ employee isn’t always somebody who doesn’t want to do their job or enjoys making problems. A ‘bad fit’ employee can simply be somebody who, through no fault of their own, is so uncomfortable in the workplace that it’s affecting their own output and/or the output of everyone else around them.

It's crucial to find workers who will be able to perform their 'on paper' duties and who will also fit seamlessly into the team and culture that's already in place. That's no mean feat and one of the biggest reasons why the best recruitment agencies charge so much for their services.

How to let an employee go

Be clear on what makes them a bad fit. A ‘bad fit’ employee is usually someone whose personality doesn’t work well within your organisation, and the disjoint creates issues which will be apparent to you both. Please don’t confuse a ‘bad fit’ employee with someone who’s happy with what they’re doing and is doing it well, but they don’t fit into the team demographic (i.e. bringing a female into a previously male-only team) or you personally don’t get along with them. That’s called ‘discrimination’ and, for obvious reasons, it’s a very dangerous place to go.

Talk to them. Sometimes, all it takes to resolve a situation and turn a ‘bad fit’ employee into a ‘good fit’ employee is finding out what the problem is. The chances are, they'll be very aware this isn't the right place for them, so it won't be difficult to find a mutually agreeable solution. On the other hand, if they're not aware there's an issue, you need to get the ball rolling so you can address the problem, document it, and start taking whatever formal steps are necessary.

With that last paragraph in mind, ensure that your HR procedures and termination policy are watertight. Letting go of someone who’s a bad fit is very different from firing somebody for misconduct or for some other performance issue. 'Offboarding' them as smoothly and amicably as possible is always the recommended way to go. After all, you don't want them to have problems finding another job; you just want them to succeed somewhere they'll be a better fit.

Depending on the circumstances, some organisations offer their ‘bad fit’ employees a severance package to make securing the employee’s agreement easier, protect themselves from legal comebacks, and leave everything on as friendly a term as possible.

The bottom line

Don't be afraid to get rid of 'bad fit' employees, but when you do, ensure that you're treating them fairly and with care and moving them on for the right reasons. It doesn't have to be stressful if you handle the situation correctly.