Check into the background of the employee:
It is very important that the background of this employee be checked out.
If this is someone who has been a consistently good worker, then there may be something else going on that is causing a less than stellar employee performance.
There may be something going on with this worker that is affecting their job performance.
Consult another supervisor:
Call another boss into the office for a little conference. Sometimes, getting the perspective of someone else can be extremely useful.
Show this other supervisor what has been going on and see what this person has to say.
It may be that terminating someone may be an extreme measure, and it would be tragic to lose a good worker when their performance can be turned around.
Talk to the employee:
If the employee has always been reliable, then having a talk with that person is a good idea. Is everything all right at home?
Is there something else going on that this person is bringing to work with them unintentionally?
Having a talk with this employee will not only help find out what is going on, but it will also give them a heads up that their performance is not very good and they need to do something about it.
Give the employee another chance:
While speaking to the employee, be sure to have a list of problems with their performance.
Have a list handy of everything this person has been doing wrong, and what they can do to turn the situation around before it is too late to save their job.
Do not make the termination personal:
Employees are let go because of their job performance, and it is in the best interest of the company to only keep employees that do good work.
Even if there are other reasons to let this person go other than a poor job performance, do not make them known because that will only seem like an attack.
Be direct
To make sure there are no misunderstandings about what is being said, keep everything direct.
Having to let someone go is hard enough as it is without beating around the bush.
Do not let emotion get in the way
Terminating an employee is difficult, and the employee may not react well to the news they no longer have a job. However, even if there are tears or anger, a boss has to stand their ground and put the interest of the company first.
When an employee is not performing well, then it is up to the boss to turn things around.
If the employee is still failing to do well than they have to be let go. Terminating an employee is never easy, but a boss can do it in a way that will be easier for everyone to handle.