Is It Cruel to Let Go of Sickly Employees?
You might notice that one of your employees takes a leave of absences regularly. At first, you understand what’s going on because it’s the person’s health on the line. However, if it’s a recurring situation, it might seem unacceptable. As such, you decided that it might be time to let go of this employee. Before you make that decision, these are the things you need to do.
Ask for a doctor’s note
When someone is really sick, you need to do know how serious it is. Some employees try to hide their illness because they don’t want people to pity them. They also don’t want to get fired because of it. Another reason for asking is that you care about that employee. It’s not only work productivity that you worry about, but the person’s wellness too. You don’t want to overburden that person with tasks when you know the nature of the illness is serious.
Conversely, there are people who take a leave for other reasons, but they only pretend they’re sick. You need to confront them if you discover that they’re lying. It’s an unprofessional and unacceptable attitude.
It might be time to rest
When the employee is already suffering from a serious illness, it might be time to consider resting. You don’t want to keep that person in your team not because you worry about work quality, but because you want that person to recover. You have to be clear about it. Otherwise, your decision will be deemed as being too mean. You can also help raise funds for this employee to cover the medical cost. If you can’t make yourself fire this person, perhaps there are other tasks that would require the same person for the job, but won’t necessarily require going to the office.
Evaluate the nature of work in the office
If several of your employees end up getting sick, it might have something to do with the nature of the workplace. You can’t keep it this way. You want everyone to feel good about work. If they start to get ill, it means that the workplace is no longer a healthy environment. It could be due to the nature of tasks you’re expecting everyone to fulfill. It could also be due to your meanness as a boss. People get stressed out because of you. It’s time that you change your approach at work.
Firing people who are sick is cruel if it came only from the perspective of a business person who hates losing profits. However, if it comes from a place of concern and love, it’s understandable. Even the ill person will understand your decision. Guarantee that employee that as soon as full recovery is reached, your doors are always open. You know that the employee does a terrific job especially without any illness.
Photo Attribution:
1st and feature image from https://unsplash.com/photos/98__MsKaUsI
2nd image from https://globalnews.ca/news/5985336/employers-sick-notes/
