I would have sacked a lot more people if I could have got away with it. If this government has its way then in the future managers will be able to fire at will. Under a raft of proposals which it is claimed will stimulate jobs and make our economy more flexible employers will be free from the threat of being taken to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal.
Basically employers would like to employ who they liked and fire who they liked so a “no fault dismissal” would be very helpful. Of course you can fire someone for gross misconduct, fiddling their expenses, accessing pornography on their work lap top but it is a far more lengthy process to get rid of someone who is simply incompetent and then there are those people who are just “difficult”, who ask awkward questions and are cynical about management motives.
Life would be a lot easier if we managers could just say “sorry we don’t want you anymore “and not have to make up some reason to justify it to HR.
I heard a colleague say it would be just like extending the probationary period say from 6 months to 2 years or indefinitely. Well I hope not because getting rid of someone at the end of their probationary period can be hard work unless you have been taking them to task at regular intervals and kept a detailed record of what they were doing wrong and what they had to do to improve. You can’t just say at the end of the probationary period, “look you really haven’t impressed me, I don’t think you are going to fit in here so we will not be extending your contract.” Whereas this no fault dismissal would allow you to do just that whenever it suited. It would make reorganisations and restructuring a lot easier staff would be a lot more co operative.
If no fault dismissals had been in place when I was a senior manager in local government I would have sacked a lot more people mind you if it had I would never have made it into senior management.
Blair McPherson author of An Elephant in the Room-an equality and diversity training manual and People management in a harsh financial climate published by Russell House. Follow Blair on Twitter @blairmcpherson1
