How to terminate your employee

Chinese Version

"My helper is so absentminded!"

"She forgot to turn off the stove!"

"My mother can't communicate with her."

"She is not close to my children yet."

"She told me she wiped it, but she didn't wipe the shelf. I want her to be truthful."

When we do follow up calls, we often hear comments like those above. We even wrote an article about what to expect from a new helper to help employer's deal with their inexperienced helpers. But what do you do when you think you might want to terminate your employee? Maybe you've tried your best and it doesn't seem to be working. They are not meeting your expectations, and you are beginning to lose hope. Perhaps, you find yourself getting angry frequently, and you don't know what to do. Should I fire her? Below are some guidelines to help you in facing the "terminate or not" decision.

Cool Down

Don't fire your helper when you are angry. It takes a little more than two months for a new helper to arrive. If you fire in anger, who will take care of your children, your house, etc. ? Take the time necessary to discuss this issue with your spouse. Don't make a hasty decision.

Consider

Is there something you can do differently to help your helper learn her job and succeed in serving your family?Have you asked your agent for help? At Arrow, we will be glad to sit down with you and your helper to try to resolve any problems you are having, miscommunication, etc.

Have you done a formal job evaluation with your employee? We have a simple, yet effective guide for conducting employee evaluations.

Consider the impact on other family members, especially children. What kind of relationship does your helper have with your children? What steps are you going to take to minimize the impact on their lives. If your helper has been an important part of their lives for a long time, terminating her will surely cause your children to feel a sense of loss. You need to prepare them for this change.

How long has your helper been with you? Your helper has left her family, her culture and her country to come and serve your family. Unless your helper is guilty of gross misbehavior or dangerous or dishonest behavior, please don't even consider firing your helper in the first two months. Give them a grace period, so they can get over their culture shock, homesickness and learn the job.

Give your helper 30 days notice if you can

I realize that many people are afraid to give notice, but most of these fears are unfounded. Do you really think you hired an ogre who would harm your children if you give them notice? Giving them notice gives them time to find another employer. Most helpers will be grateful for your consideration and will do their best to finish their time with your family in an honorable way. Of course if your employee is dishonest or unsafe, then give them 30 days pay in lieu of notice.

How to say "Goodbye"

Choose a time when you can sit and talk quietly with your helper. Wait til the children are in bed or off to school. Turn off the ringer of your phone, so that you won't be interrupted.

Use the "sandwich" approach: Start positive. Thank her for her service to your family. Acknowledge the sacrifice she has made to leave her family and country to come and serve in Hong Kong. Tell her that the relationship is not working out, and that you have decided to terminate the contract. If you are giving 30 days notice, present it to her in writing. If you are dismissing without notice, make sure you document everything. Finally, end positive. Thank her again for her service, and wish her all the best.

Oversee her packing up

Tell your helper something like this, "I know it is embarrassing, but I want you to pack your bag in the living room, so that we won't have any misunderstandings." If you have given the helper gifts of clothing, etc., don't ask for them back. Some older people are superstitious and afraid a helper will use clothing to "put a curse" on them, but please act in a courteous and gracious way. Do not give in to superstition. Be a blessing, and blessing will come to you. If you have given your helper octopus cards or building pass keys, etc., be sure and collect them from her. Check the laundry lines, washing machine and drier for clothes she might leave behind.

Let Arrow help

We are willing to sit down with you and your helper to complete the termination papers and oversee the final payments etc. You can come to our office with your helper and we'll help you through this transition.  Involving Arrow will lessen the chance for an emotional scene, and we will make sure the necessary paperwork is done properly. We will also make sure that your helper is properly cared for after she leaves your home.

If your helper is simply a poor match for your needs, write her a reference letter to help her find another job. Even if she wasn't "great" you can include the dates of her service, a list of her duties, and say that she was "hardworking and honest". If your helper has been dishonest, grossly negligent or dangerous, then do not give her a recommendation letter. Don't pass your problem onto another Hong Kong family. If the helper has shown good character while serving you, we will try to find her another job that better fits her abilities. If we have doubts about her character or suitability to work in Hong Kong, we will not introduce her to other families.

Think "Win Win!"

Terminating an employment situation does NOT have to be a lose-lose-lose situation (yes, the 3 loses are intentional. You lose, the helper loses and the agency loses). Angry, summary termination is almost always "lose-lose-lose". Giving notice, doing evaluations, writing reference letters usually results in a "win-win-win" situation. The employer keeps his current helper until the replacement arrives, the helper benefits by having the time to find an employer better suited to her abilities, and the agency wins by having the opportunity to serve both the employer and employee.

We hope you will never have to terminate your Arrow helper, but if you need to break your contract, we trust that you will do so in a kind and professional manner.

Allan Smith, Arrow

如何終止您的僱員

“我的僱員十分大意！ ” 
“她忘了關掉爐子！ ” 
“我的母親無法與她溝通。 ” 
“她未能與我的孩子們相處。 ”
“她告訴我她己清潔了架子，但她根本沒有做。我希望她誠實一點。 ”

當我們處理有需要跟進的電話時，我們經常聽到如上述的評論。我們亦寫了一篇該對你的新僱員抱有什麼期望, 使雇主知道如何管理其經驗不足的傭工。但是, 當你打算終止與您員工的合約時, 你會怎樣做？也許你已經盡全力配合你的傭工但也似乎並不奏效。他們是並不符合您的期望，而你也開始對她感到失望了。也許，你會發現自己經常生氣，你不知道該怎麼做。我應該解僱她嗎？以下是一些指引，以幫助您在面臨“終止或不”時的決定。

先冷靜下來

請不要開除你的僱員當你感到憤怒時。因為你需要一個或兩個月以上你的新僱員才會來到。如果您因為憤怒而把她解雇了，誰照顧你的孩子，你的房子？找時間跟你的配偶來討論這個問題。不要草率作出決定。 
考慮
有什麼你可以做的(可能用些不同方法)以幫助您的僱員了解她的工作，並成功地讓她服務您的家庭？你有沒有找你的代理人幫助？在精箭中，我們將樂意坐下來與你和你的僱員並試圖解決你們的任何問題，如溝通等等。

你有否對您的員工做了正式的工作評價？我們有一個簡單而有效的員工指導評價。 
考慮到對其他家庭成員的影響，尤其是兒童。你的僱員與您的孩子應有怎樣的關係？哪些步驟你應要考慮，以盡量減少對他們生活的影響。如果您的僱員已經成為他們生活中一個重要的部分並與他們生活了很長一段長時間，終止她的工作一定會對你的孩子做成影響, 令他們感到失落。你必須讓他們對這種變化做好準備。 
您的僱員已經為你服務了多久？您的助手已經離開她的家人，她的文化和她的國家來服務你的家人。除非您的助手犯了嚴重不端的行為, 危險或不誠實的行動，否則請不要考慮解雇你的僱員在起初兩個月內。給他們一個寬限期，以便他們能適應自己的文化改變，思鄉和學習工作。

如果可以, 請給您的僱員30天通知

我明白，許多人害怕發出通知，但大多數的這些擔心都是沒有根據的。你們真的認為你們僱用了一名”食人魔”,她會損害您的孩子如果你給他們通知？請給他們通知, 給他們時間去找尋另一名雇主。大多數傭工會感謝您對她們的考慮，並將盡最大努力完成他們與您的家人一起的時間,並以一個正當的方法盡力為你的家人服務。當然如果你的僱員是不誠實的或不安全的， 給他們30天內支付的代通知金。

怎麼說“再見” 
選擇一個時間，你可以靜靜地坐下來與您的助手談談。等待直到你的孩子們在睡覺或上學去。關掉你的手機鈴聲，這樣您的談話就不會被打斷了。 

使用“三明治”的辦法：啟動積極的。感謝她的服務，你的家人。承認的犧牲，她已離開她的家人和國家來服務於香港。告訴她，這種關係不工作了，您已決定終止合 同。如果您給予30天的通知，目前她以書面形式提出。如果您是解僱，恕不另行通知，請確保您的所有文件。最後，年底積極。感謝她再次為她服務，並祝愿她一切順利。

監督她收拾物品
告訴您的助手這樣的事情，“我知道這是尷尬的，但我希望你能在你的房間內收拾行李，因此，我們便不會再有任何誤解了。 ”如果您曾有送你助手一些禮品或服裝等，請不要要求他們歸還。一些老年人迷信和害怕助手將會使用衣物來“詛咒”他們。請以禮貌，熱情的方式來對待將離去的助手。不要屈服於迷信。祝福她們，那麼祝福也會是你的。如果你曾給你的助手八達通卡或大廈入門鎖匙等，請務必叫她們交還。檢查衣架，洗衣機和烘乾機的衣服，確保她們沒把衣服留下。

讓精箭來幫忙
我們願意坐下來與你和你的助手來完成終止合約的文件和最後付款等，您可以與您的助手來到我們的辦公室讓精箭來幫忙。相信精箭將能緩和相方的情緒，並且, 我們將確保必要的文件處理得當。我們還將確保您的助手在離開你的住所後會得到妥善的照顧。 
如果您的助手只是不太能符合您的需求，請大方的為她寫推薦信，幫助她能找到另一份工作。即使她不是非常好，您也可以寫下她服務的日子，其職責，並說她是“勤奮，誠實” 。如果您的助手曾經不誠實，疏忽或危險的，那麼便請不要給她一個推薦信也請不要把你所遇到的問題跟其他香港家庭分享。如果你的助手在為您服務的時候已經表現出了良好的品格，我們將努力為她找到自己適合的工作，更好地發揮她的能力。如果我們懷疑她的性格，或是否適合在香港工作，我們將不介紹她到其他的家庭。

達到 “雙贏！ ” 
終止合約不應該是一個輸, 輸，輸的局面（是的，是故意輸3 因為你輸了，助手輸了, 機構也輸了） 。不快的，簡單的終止合約經常總是“輸輸輸”。但如果你態發出通知，做出評價及寫推薦信, 那麼往往會造成“三贏”的局面。雇主能留住他的助手直到新任助手來到，那助手能有時間找到一個雇主更適合她的能 力，機構能有機會再為雇主和僱員提供服務。 
我們永遠不會希望你終止您的精箭僱傭，但如果您真的需要這麼做，我們相信你會作出一種有善和專業的做法。 
Allan Smith, 精箭

 僱員