Employee Relations

How long after I’ve fired someone can I reemploy them?

Our team were discussing some of the questions we’d been asked by departmental managers in our capacity as HR professionals over the course of our careers. There are so many queries, and very often our responses to the encounters can be answered simply.

No question is a silly question. How we respond is the important element. This source keeps HR professionals busy.

If Business Owners, Supervisors, Heads of Department, Managers and even Board Members knew the answers in people management, there would not be a need for HR Business Partners or HR Advisors.

So how to deal with this manager’s query. ‘After I’ve sacked a member of staff, how long should I wait before I can reemploy that person?’

My first reaction would be, ‘Never’.

But that’s a quick fix. The problem lies deeper within the organisation and in this instance was why HR was being introduced. The board had recognised a gap in managing its’ people.

Deciphering why the person’s employment was terminated is the key.

Perhaps the manager had ‘fired’ the individual to set an example for bad behaviour; or lateness; or on the spur of the moment in the middle of a bad day. A foolhardy approach means everyone loses.

Maybe the team member deserved to be ‘fired’. They might have stolen something, or caused a fight at work.

You wouldn’t ever want a person who acts in this way to return to their post. They have the potential to wreak havoc in your business. (If this was the circumstance, the issue would follow on to involve recruitment, which is a different story…)

HR Professionals coach managers; we offer advice about how to deal with conflicts and disputes with staff. We get involved and solve the problems. We endeavour to get the best out of everyone, to make your life less complicated, so you may focus on your role in the business.

The outcome?

Achieving a Win : Win is the best answer to the original question. Before you fire a member of staff, if its spur of the moment or you are fed up of continually putting up with issues you aren’t happy with, contact your HR Advisor.

The likelihood is you’ll be in a better position because you haven’t lost your talented team member, and they won’t be disgruntled with your company, on the job market, searching for a new role.

The challenge for any HR Professional is in offering the right guideline of how to manage staff. This might mean developing systems and communicating the change to all. But ultimately there is a need to set parameters for both parties, allowing a status quo for everyone within your organisation.

Asking the question, was a simple step in the path to being successful. No question is a silly question.