Getting irritated by co-workers once in a while is quite common. However, suppose you have a toxic, incompetent co-worker or poses a threat to your safety and the ones around you. In that case, something needs to be done. This puts you in a sticky situation but not to worry, here’s how to deal with it. Today’s topic- How to get someone fired?
There are several steps to follow to get someone fired. For starters, you want to be sure that the person is wrong, whether they’re a threat to the people around them or other serious issues. Firstly, you should try to dissolve the problem and confront the person if you can, someone incompetent or toxic. The different route is the indirect way one should go if Confrontation has no effect and immediate action is required.
Steps to follow to get someone fired
Step 1: Having a Good Reason
Disagreements and disliking someone form a part of life. However, these aren’t good enough reasons to get someone sacked. Moreover, firings aren’t done quickly in the corporate world and require more than just the manager’s approval.
A co-worker’s toxic behavior can affect the business’s sales and profits, customer service, and reputation. So make sure it isn’t a one-time occurrence or that the person isn’t simply having a bad week. If this person is indeed problematic, then it’s time to look at your options.
Reasons for Removal of Employee
To have a solid case in case you want to pursue this co-worker or even boss, here are a few things you should be sure of:
- The co-worker poses a threat
- The co-worker is severely incompetent at their job
- He/ She is a nuisance to others
- They steal company time by being uncooperative or very lazy
- This person steals or takes from the company
- They sexually, physically, or verbally assaulted someone
- They sexually, physically, or verbally harassed someone
- They create a hostile work environment
- The co-worker interferes with your ability to work or someone else’s
- This person causes damage to company property
These are some reasons you may want to have your co-worker removed, but if your motivation isn’t mentioned, you can try to go a different way. It is up to you and depends on this person’s attitude too.
Don’t do anything that would put you at risk, like confronting him if he’s known to be aggressive or has displayed any red flags. Be careful and choose the option that suits you best.
Option 1: Without Anyone Getting Sacked
If you aren’t sure and the person doesn’t fit the above criteria, you can still take some actions to improve the situation.
- Discuss with Manager
If you don’t think he’s a huge threat and doesn’t fit the criteria, you can meet up with your manager to discuss.
- Plan Ahead
Talk to your manager individually, and maybe he/ she can provide a solution to the problem you are facing. However, make sure to keep a few things in mind. Meet in person. You can arrange a time to meet in advance, so it isn’t bad for your boss/manager.
- Keep Your Emotions in Check
Moreover, try to sound as less emotional as you can in the sense that you don’t want to sound like you’re whining. Calmly explain how this person is causing problems not only for you but the company too, in the long run. Focus your words on the person’s impact and less on your emotions.
- Provide Examples
After this, provide examples, and it would help if you had some proof or documentation to corroborate your narration of events. And if your co-workers are also facing the same problem and consent to using their names, you can mention them to your manager.
- Ask for Help
In the end, you can ask your manager to help you come up with a solution to work better with this employee as your aim is not to get the person fired.
We will discuss this point again in Option 2.
- Confront the Person
If it’s safe to talk to them and you can’t ignore the problem, confront them. Talk to them about it and try to work it out if possible.
- How to do it
Start by telling the person what the issue is. Then, explain how it affects you and your co-worker (s). Finally, you can ask them to help you come up with a solution or turn to others for help if your co-worker is okay with it.
- When to avoid Confrontation
If your co-worker is known to be violent, has anger issues, or anything that may feel like a threat to your life or others, do not pursue this option. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. You can take your issue to the Human Resources (HR) department if it’s a serious issue like a hostile work environment. Send them an email to make sure there is a paper trail and proof in case you need it in the future.
Note: Option 1 is to get to the root of the problem if possible without having to get your co-worker fired.
Option 2: Steps to Getting Someone Fired
Both the choices in Option 1 are a part of Option 2, as the only way to get a person fired is getting the manager/ boss and Human Resources department involved. Below are extra points you need to keep in mind.
- Step 2: Discuss with Others
The chances are that if you’ve noticed or had to put up with this disrespectful or hostile co-worker, others have too. Therefore, it’s best to get input from your other co-workers. It will ensure that you aren’t the only one who noticed this behavior.
Be careful and don’t go around discussing it with everyone. First, consult with a small group of co-workers you trust. Ask if any of them feel the same way and see if they are willing to join you in making a formal complaint. This support will make your complaint seem more valid and has a chance of being taken seriously.
Avoid spreading rumors and ask them indirectly by phrasing questions like “So, what do you think of XYZ?” or refer to a particular incident, etc.
- Step 3: Gather Evidence
Getting someone fired is not easy, and it shouldn’t be that way either. If you are plotting on removing a colleague, you need more than your word of mouth. You need to have a list of reasons why they should be fired, including their inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.
If you can, gather any evidence you have on the offender, like anything written or concrete. Document these incidents and be as detailed and specific as you can. Mention the date, time, place, and who was there. These details will help back up your narrative.
Also, try to keep it too serious indiscretions. Minor infractions may make you look like you’re overreacting and could invalidate your argument a little. For example, if the co-worker doesn’t clean up the coffee station, it isn’t that big a deal compared to coming to work drunk.
So make a list of everything but focus and only use the significant issues to support your argument better.
- Optional: Test the Co-Worker
As soon as you have a team or even a few people who agree with you, you can test the colleague. This requires a situation that affirms everything that you and the other co-workers believe about this person. This is so that you know you did everything you could responsibly and sincerely.
After testing the colleague, you can spread the rumor. You can even follow in your toxic co-worker’s footsteps to prove a point, but it’s better not to. This step is problematic and would do more harm than good if it goes beyond testing the colleague.
- Step 4: Make a formal complaint.
To make a formal complaint, you have to inform your manager. Refer to the “Discuss with Manager” Section at the start of the article for more details. To summarize:
- Talk to your manager in person.
- Schedule a meeting or decide a time beforehand to avoid any inconvenience
- Practice what you plan on saying beforehand. Don’t directly ask your boss to fire the person. If your boss asks, you can let make your thoughts on it known, but at the end of the day, it isn’t your decision to make.
- Don’t sound emotional or whiny but relay the facts and how this person’s actions have affected you, your peers, and the company. Focus on the problem this person caused.
- Bring along your documentation with all the details and explain why you are making this complaint.
- Inform your boss about how other co-workers feel by name if the co-workers are okay with it. They can be at the meeting too if they want.
- Ask your manager to register this as an anonymous complaint as you don’t want things to get awkward or worse between you and this co-worker.
Now, all that’s left to do is wait for the manager to make a decision. Trust your employer and try to let it go. Now, it’s time to focus on you, and if the person still isn’t fired in the end, it’s best to keep to yourself.
If things get unbearable, you may need to consider resigning or finding another solution.
Option 3: Getting Someone Fired Fast
There are times when you have to act quickly, like if your safety is in danger and there isn’t any time to build a case or follow so many steps. So you have to think and act quickly.
When this is the case, tell your manager immediately.
If the person is involved in something illegal, including harassment or any discrimination, contact the Human Resources Department pronto. Go straight to them, but before meeting up with them, send an email regarding the issue, so there is physical proof. This can be helpful in case you ever need to take legal action.
You can also opt to call law enforcement for your safety. Again, this is totally up to you.
If the person who you’re trying to get fired is your boss, you’ll have to either go to HR or above to your boss’s boss.
If you aren’t threatened and no harassment occurred, but the issue still isn’t solved, you can file another complaint. You can ask your co-workers to file complaints too. If enough complaints are filed, the company is forced to handle the situation most of the time. They may even fire the individual.
Option 4: Using Indirect and Unethical Means
This requires sabotaging the co-worker who may cost you losing your job. Trying to get someone fired is unethical and wrong.
To do this, you can create situations that will make it difficult for your co-worker. For example, find ways that make them look bad in front of the manager like if this person swears too much, let them do it in front of customers. This way, the customers will complain to your manager and not you.
You can make up believable ideas, like sending emails to your boss with offensive content from your co-worker’s computer. You could change their desktop to something pornographic while they’re away and lure your boss out to see it before the co-worker even has a chance to notice it.
Making it hard for your co-worker to thrive here or making the person miserable enough to leave. However, there is another indirect method that is somewhat positive. You can help out the co-worker with finding a new job or convincing them to quit.
Conclusion
Getting someone sacked is a very sticky situation, yet there are many ways to go about it. Each method has its consequences, too, but these steps and options should help you decide. There’s enough wiggle room in the options for you to make decisions according to your situation. Stay safe, and I hope things work out!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is wrongful termination?
This is when an employee is fired for illegal reasons, such as gender, race, religion, disability, or ethnic background.
- How to get fired?
By lying on your resume or job application, drinking or getting drunk at work, or taking too many personal calls, you can get yourself fired. Other ways are not doing your job, getting romantically involved with the manager or boss, gossiping, etc.
- What are some reasons for a fair dismissal?
Grounds for a fair dismissal are when an employee has minor conduct issues, poor performance, redundancy (business closes down or changes location or there’s less work for employees), etc.
