True confession: it wasn’t that long ago that I – one of the most courteous and respectful people I know – was suspended from a Facebook HR group for … you guessed it … violating their Courtesy and Respect rules.
What do you think made my blood boil so much that I got a little verbally fighty?
Someone posted that an “Ineligible for Rehire” status should only be used when an employee was fired for a criminal act like assault or theft.
I think that’s baloney. If an employee acted so poorly that you had cause to fire them once, they’ll probably act that way again.
Every manager I know, including me, has re-hired someone they’d previous fired – out of staffing desperation or out of the goodness of their heart. It’s part of the management growth curve.
When a “not eligible for rehire” employee comes asking for his job back and says he’s a changed man, a newish manager says to themselves “I believe in second chances” and takes them back.
A manager who’s been inevitably burned by automatically extending those second chances is a little more hesitant, but may justify reversing the no re-hire status if the employee was a solid performer. As in – “Other than shouting profanity at a co-worker in front of customers that one day, he was a good employee.”
Maybe it was just one bad day – but you know he’s inevitably going to have another bad day! Consider yourself warned.
Here’s how the wise manager protects his company from re-introducing trouble back into the organization:
💠 When you’ve got the opportunity to re-hire someone who left on bad terms, your default thought should be “absolutely not.”
💠 If you’re still tempted, very carefully consider every extenuating factor and assess whether the same factors that led to the employee’s termination still exist.
For example – how much time has passed since they were fired, and what is the likelihood they’ve matured since then? If an employee was in their early 20s but has since gotten married, become a parent, and is in their 30s … I’d totally let bygones be bygones. If less than a year has passed, or if the employee was already of a mature age when they were fired, chances are good they’re not rehabilitated.
Don’t let yourself be sweet-talked, though. It’s your responsibility as a manager to protect the company from bad hires and re-hires.
The absolute best indicator of how an employee is going to perform and behave is how they’ve performed in the past. When it comes to re-hiring someone who was fired, it’s probably a risk your company doesn’t need.
If you’re on the fence about re-hiring someone and want to talk it through with a former HR executive like me, hit me up for a free consultation! I promise I’ll be courteous and respectful.
