Few people like the responsibility of correcting other people but of course, it is often the job of managers and HR departments to do so. We’ve all heard the horror stories of firings that seem overboard and (on the flip side) employee actions that were never addressed. Last year, one of my friends was fired after writing a letter to her supervisor asking if they could talk together to resolve a situation. She spent many upset months thereafter trying to figure out what she really did wrong and had little confidence to even go job searching again. Less than three months later, the position she had held at the company was completely eliminated, resulting in the lay-off of six additional people. When she looked back, it seemed pretty obvious that the company had initially let her go with the motivation of saving money versus a letter that she had written.

There is an honest way to deal with people, as we all know. Unfortunately, not all companies practice it. Sometimes orders come from above to “cut staff” and although no one wants to be on that particular bad-news team, they are required to get it done somehow. In this life we lead, and as imperfect humans trying to do our best, sometimes we get it wrong.

Here are some guidelines to assist in working with employees the right way:

1. Always state the problem with specifics and examples. Focus on the employee’s choices in the matter and why it was not a good decision.
2. Listen carefully to what they say. If someone who is genuinely shocked or sorry for their actions, it is a positive sign. Listen to their side of the story, give them the benefit of the doubt and be willing to adapt how you understood the issue if needed.
3. Always keep a record of disciplinary action and any talks with the employee. If your company issues incident reports, etc, always fill them out.
4. Follow your chain of command and policies for discipline carefully. With questions, ask your supervisor and company’s legal team.
5. Even if employed by an “at-will” company (employer can fire and employee can quit for no reason stated), remember that your employees are human and try to be fair. Don’t fire without telling them your reason and having your process backed up. It’s a good way to have a bunch of scared employees tiptoeing around who are afraid to speak up.
6. Consider discipline other than firing, if the offense did not hurt the employee/anyone and was not against the law. A Write-Up is often enough to help the employee see the issue and work to resolve it. After all, you do want your employees to be able to problem solve, right?
7. Never contract out for firing. I don’t care if you have thousands of employees under your care and have to let them go all in one week, this is one of the worst things you can do. It can be psychologically damaging to the employee getting the ax (and the ones not getting the ax-trust me, word gets around) and it’s extremely bad form on the part of an employer to not take the time and do what needs to be done.
8. Go out of your way to be kind and do what you can for the employee. If a severance package or help with unemployment would be helpful, provide it. This will help the person feel valued (even if they didn’t work out as an employee) and is considered good form for company practice.

Other than qualifications and skills, are there other things that you should look for when interviewing candidates for positions? Things that may give you a hint to personality, comfort zones and ability to interact well with other people? Absolutely.

My local computer repair store always takes good care of me. They understand I often have deadlines and that without my laptop, my work is absolutely stilled. My repair work doesn’t provide them with a ton of money—but I feel valued there. They all greet me when I come in, stop to talk awhile, and take good care of whatever issues my computer decides to have.

A few weeks ago Dell told me they would be out to replace my hard drive the next day and to back-up my computer before then, but my system would not back up. For help, I ran up to the nearby store and a technician I had not worked with before was being difficult. First he said there was no way he could get to it that day. I said it had to be today because Dell would be out tomorrow to completely replace the hard drive. I also said I understood that there would be extra cost involved for a rush job. But he continued on and on about how he couldn’t bump other customers, etc., and how my system is “old” (by one year) so it may not be an easy process, etc., (my fault for having a year old laptop, I guess). Finally, another technician who I know personally stepped over and physically removed my laptop from this guy’s hand, and in spite of a packed schedule, said he would do it for me. He was kind and the tone of his voice was soothing and soon I found myself walking out of the store — happy and confident that it would get done.

Now perhaps that first technician is super skilled in all that he does and a whiz with everything technical. I don’t know. What I do know is that they almost lost my business that day because of his attitude with me. We all know that even super-skilled employees must also be good with people or they will lose business upfront and create discontent.

So how can you make sure that the people you are hiring are the best at all aspects of the job, including customer service? I suggest that you look for the following when interviewing:

1. A smile. Better yet, see if your interviewee has a sense of humor. A sense of humor may get them through when a customer or patient is upset about something or otherwise difficult. Toss a few jokes out there. Laugh yourself, and note their responses.
2. An ability to continue to smile, or have a right reaction, in difficult situations. To test this, run your interviewee through role play situations. If you are hiring a nurse, for example, allow them to play the nurse and become a very difficult patient with a high fever and an extreme lack of sleep.
3. A willingness to understand that MOST people, at all times, are doing their best. It really is true that the majority of people are fighting a battle in their life in some way. This has an effect on their attitudes and responses to all of us. An understanding that people are doing the best they can with what they have to work with helps soothe waters and may prevent an employee from becoming defensive or angry. This can be accomplished through role play and then by discussing the role play after the fact. Ask questions like “why did you respond that way?” and make sure that you compliment them when they have great responses to the difficult patient.
4. A solid handshake and eye contact. Although insuring that someone has a firm handshake almost a cliché that has been around a long time and we often laugh at, you can get a sense of how comfortable your interviewee is with people based on their handshake. Is it firm and confident? Do they look you in the eye when they shake your hand and during the interview? In addition, watch their body language during the interview. Looking at the floor or room instead of you indicates that they are either uncomfortable or lying. And eye shifting after you ask them a question may also indicate this. Foot bouncing or other nervous habits many indicate also that they are not comfortable talking to other people.

All in all, our best employees are ones with both the competency to do the job well and also the ability to work with people in all walks of life and situations. Don’t be afraid to interview for both aspects.