This acclaimed book by Steven Shaer significantly takes an in depth look through the various effective ways and methods of employee improvement. It also gives a step by step approach to managing and evaluating employee performance. If the performance of the employees cannot be improved, the author simply recommends firing them. It brings out the challenge of managers and their specific role in highlighting underperforming employees to ensuring they are productive to the organization. Finally, the book discusses several management theories and their application to human resource management within an organization.
When evaluating employee performance it is very essential to have a feedback on their performance and improvement. This book gives a detailed view of five underutilized methods for giving feedback to employees who are not performing. The five methods are exquisite and employees cannot rationalize away (Shaer 14). Similarly these five methods will stir change in the manner in which employees operate. The book also gives the relationship between organizational behavior, management and performance and their individual significance. The author clearly brings out the different aspects of employee performance in a clear and concise manner that will not only give chance for feedback and communication but also make work easier for management.
Subsequently, this book gives insight about the 6-step process that managers can use to create effective and efficient performance improvement strategies that will boost employee behaviors (Shaer 36). This also involves a critical look at the culture of the organization, misbehavior in organization, leadership and employee motivation. Without a system that incorporates both the employees and their managers, a wide gap will be left and performance may be jeopardized. Essentially, in order to raise the bar for performance, managers must be willing to lead from in front. This gives them a chance to monitor the employee’s performance as well as make conclusion decisions about whether they are fixable or will be fired.
Employees will often employ certain rationalizations to protect and defend their underperforming nature. This book gives a list of these rationalizations and how shrewd managers can break through that cocoon to instill motivation to the employees. It also uncovers the emotional nature of the said reasons and their impact on performance. Basically, the book will finally recommend letting go of the employee if the mitigation strategies on the employee prove futile for the manager. This will reduce costs on the organization and the influence of underperforming employees on organizational culture. Consequently, the book gives four straightforward approaches that will reduce a manager’s anxiety on firing employees that perform poorly. Managers always weigh a lot of things before firing underperforming employees. This book helps managers in making this tough decision by giving the four ways that reduce anxiety. It gives the managers a justification for their actions and its implications on the general performance of the other employees and the organization in general.
Further, the book takes the manager through a checklist of the initial steps a manager needs to take before considering to fire an employee. In order to ensure the employee is fired on justifiable grounds, the checklist must be completed by the manager to identify if the employee meets firing criteria. Managers are warned about connecting emotions to employee management when dealing with performance. This not only impairs their judgment but also makes them more anxious when making this crucial decision. However, the checklist will help managers when evaluating this criteria and final decisions.
Finally, the book addresses the major issue of how to fire an employee and reduce trauma and stress for the manager. It is very easy for managers to fall in the trap of feeling sorry for employees they are about to fire. However, this book gives the mangers a step- by-step script on how to get over the weakness, make a valid decision and look at the greater good of the organization. In other words, the performance of the organization is much paramount than the interests of one single employee or manager. This has been effectively covered in the last few pages of the book. The idea is to help managers reduce stress and trauma before, during and after firing the employees.
Conclusion
It is very difficult for managers to make a valid and sober decision on employee performance and whether to fire them or not (Guest 36). These tough choices make the significance of this book to human resource managers very important. Further, the contemporary theories of management discussed in the book will help the manager to create an instant connection between firing and employee and underperformance. Finally, the book will help the managers to reduce anxiety, stress and trauma associated with making decisions to terminate employee contracts and the long run good of the organization. This book is especially important in solving organizational crisis and evaluating employee performance. Human resource managers and management students will benefit from this book.
Works Cited
"Fix Them or Fire Them Book Overview |." Fix Them of Fire Them | How to Fire an Employee. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://fixthemorfirethem.com/book-overview/>.
Guest, David E. "Human Resource Management and Performance: a Review and Research Agenda." International Journal of Human Resource Management (2007): 33-48. Print.
Shaer, Steven J. Fix Them or Fire Them: Managing, Evaluating and Terminating Underperforming Employees. s.l: Challenger Press, 2013. Print.
