The hard cases

How to manage the employee nobody will fire

On paper, treat them like anyone else, which means the record has to be longer and fairer, not harsher: the same expectations, the same check-ins, the same written follow-up, and their good work recorded as carefully as the problems. Talk to the owner or decision-maker early and privately, with specific examples instead of frustration. Your job is not to get them fired; it is to make the situation visible and give the person a fair chance to change it.

How managers put it

• “She's been here fifteen years and the owner won't hear a word against her.”
• “He's the boss's brother-in-law. What am I supposed to do?”
• “Everyone works around him, and the new hires are noticing.”

What to do

1. 1.Start with the expectations everyone has

   Write down what the role requires and check that you hold the rest of the team to it. If the standard is unwritten, write it for everyone, not just for this person.

2. 2.Build a fuller record, not a harsher one

   Because this will be scrutinized, document more carefully than usual: dates, specific behaviors, effects, and the good work too. Any gap or exaggeration will be used to dismiss the whole thing.

3. 3.Have the conversation yourself first

   Talk to the person directly, privately and specifically, as you would anyone else. Going over their head before you have spoken to them turns it into politics.

4. 4.Bring facts to the owner, not feelings

   "Three customer complaints this quarter, two missed deadlines that held up the team, and two new hires who asked to move" is a conversation. "Everyone's sick of her" is a grievance.

5. 5.Ask the owner what they want to happen

   Sometimes the answer is that this person stays whatever happens. Then your job becomes protecting the team's workload and fairness, and knowing where you stand.

6. 6.Watch what the rest of the team learns

   If the rules visibly do not apply to one person, others will test them. Being consistent with everyone else matters more here, not less.

This is management practice, not legal advice. For a termination, talk to an employment lawyer in your state first.

Where LVL Up helps

What it does not do

LVL Up cannot settle a family or ownership question, and it does not decide who should stay. It does not write warning letters or termination documents, and it does not give legal advice. It makes the record consistent and visible, which is what a fair decision needs, whoever ends up making it.

Common questions