Letting go of an employee may be one of the hardest confrontations that a CEO of an optometry office will face. Telling someone that he or she no longer has a job is difficult, and the smaller the office, the closer the acquaintance and the harder it is.

Along with this unpleasant task come other not-always-pleasant tasks, like going through the hiring process to replace the employee, and explaining to patients that a certain employee is no longer with the office.

Although terminating an employee is difficult, if a staff member is not meeting expectations it may be one of the best decisions you make all year. The key to letting a staff member go as painlessly as possible is following a well-thought-out set of procedures once an employee has been determined at risk for termination.

All optometry practices should have an employment manual that is updated every six to 12 months. Included in the manual should be guidelines for terminating employees. This can be your protection against being named in an employment lawsuit. By defining the boundaries of proper work conduct and documenting and enforcing breaches of the rules when they occur, terminating an employee becomes a process that follows the steps prescribed in the employment manual. Having everything outlined for new hires at the beginning of their employment shows them this is business, not personal.

Here is an example of a Dismissal Policy from the pages of an Optometry Employment Manual

The following may be cause for dismissal: inefficiency, inability to perform assigned duties, excessive absenteeism or tardiness, insubordination (undermining authority of the doctors), ongoing display of improper attitude toward work, poor personal hygiene, dishonesty, misleading use of sick leave, breach of confidentiality or unprofessional ethics, divulgence of individual salaries and refusal to perform assigned duties. This list is not considered to be all-inclusive.

Usually, an employee at high risk for dismissal will be notified and the opportunity to remedy the situation will be given; but the employer reserves the right for immediate dismissal without warning.

Employee Dismissal Guidelines

1. Warning – An explanation of what is expected will be communicated to the employee. If an employee receives a warning from the doctors they will be excluded from the production incentive for the month the warning is given.
2. Probation – This may accompany the initial warning or may serve as a final warning, this is the time period for which an employee has to make improvements or termination will occur.
3. Termination of Employee – This may occur with or without the two previously mentioned steps depending on the severity of the cause for consideration of dismissal.

Firing an employee is never easy. However, having the proper documentation and guidelines as outlined in your employment manual will make the termination straightforward, less personal, and less likely to end up in court.