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.

“I think the needs of both the job seekers and employers are in getting lost in the current environment,” says Hospital Dream Jobs founder, Allison Rapaport. “My goal is to listen to their needs and have the website evolve to meet these needs.”

In 2008, Rapaport brought together her experience in web development, communications and job searching with her interest in healthcare to develop Hospital Dream Jobs.  Because she also had contacts in the healthcare and technology field, there was a natural fit with developing content for the site as well.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Hospitals/Employers are excited about the ability to search for qualified leads to fill positions and receive alerts from Hospital Dream Jobs with links to the resume of interested parties. They also enjoy the added coups of being featured via video clips on the site and on the Hospital Dream Jobs blog. The ability to set up a profile page with more about their facility is another popular option.

For job seekers, the site is a virtual goldmine as it not only lists jobs listed with Hospital Dream Jobs but also pulls in listings from other healthcare job sites. In addition, there are numerous job resources, including lists of top hospitals, educational podcasts, links to educational facilities/hospitals and a list of recruitment and staffing agencies. The site has 400 job categories and thousands of listings. The job seeker also enjoys the ability to upload their resume/cover letter, send and receive messages, save job searches, create job alerts and learn more detail about the particular hospitals that interest them.

The goals for Hospital Dream Jobs include:

1. Provide quality and a high quantity of healthcare job listings from all parts of the country.

2. Support job seekers as they progress in their career. Offer job listings, tools to track their job search, career advice and resources, and information to stay current.

3. Offer hospitals and recruiters great advertising for their organization and the ability to attract the best in personnel.

4. Maintain an environment that is personable and responsive for all users.

Join us today by signing up for a Job Seeker or Employer account!