Is firing our employees adds to Karma even in unavoidable cases?
A Woman devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhuji, I am in a position to hire and fire people at work place. Sometimes employees are so much pain and not doing their job properly. Sometimes they emotionally blackmail with their financial crisis with young children. I really feel their pain as once I had a financial down fall and I really had to worked my way out of it. So I really want to help such people hut they do such terrible job. How do I fire such staff. I can’t help them out all the time in every shifts with extra money. I sometimes give them harder work and gentle warnings so they resign themselves and they also get some times to find another job so atleast they are not jobless overnight. But the I have to follow my budget too.
Is it unfair or sin to fire such staff. If not how to get jobs done. Many times I send them to our local iskcon temple to do some volunteer work but they are not interested.
If you post this, please keep my name anonymous”
REPLY:
Attachment is the cause for your worries.
If there is a genuine reason, there is no need to fear whether firing our employees adds to Karma.
But there should be truth on your side and you should follow of proper procedure in this process.
(What is the Karma in Giving Tips in restaurants, delivery boys, etc.? READ HERE!)
See, a business firm is to make profits.
Every staff is expected to be a part of that profit making.
Though we need not have attachments to the profits, a company or business should run for profit only.
So, it is the duty for every employee to help for a company to run profitably.
If the company fails due to wrong policies of the owner, it is not your fault.
But, if it fails because of your ineffective performance, it is your fault.
As a manager or owner, one has to take right decisions related to policies.
Then, they should employ the right candidates for those jobs.
(Collective Karma & Individual Karma – Explanation with Examples! READ HERE!)
Then, they should be an example for the staff to follow. If a doctor is smoking in front of his patients, how will the patients believe him and his treatment?
Then, motivate the employees to achieve their goal of making the company products and services.
Don’t forget to give a Good salary package that will make them comfortable to lead their life with the wife and children.
Now, it is their duty to perform well.
Set achievable targets for them understanding the nature and application of your product/ service.
For example, if you set orders of 1000 boxes of ice cream as target in the Summer season, you should not fix the same or more in winter. It will affect the sprit of employees.
Why I have said all these things? First, we should act properly in taking care of the employees because they have entrusted their life to you.
(If everything happens as per our karma, what is the use of prayers? READ HERE!)
If they don’t perform well even after you take care of them well, you can start to take steps against that employee like this:
(i) Give him/ her sufficient period of time to become efficient in his/ her work. Eg: 3-4 months time. Tell him/ her that you will have to fire him/ her if he/she does not improve.
(ii) If he/ she does not correct him/ her, first reduce his / her salary for two months and tell him/ her to improve within these two months.
(iii) If he/she does not improve his/ her performance, then give him/ her one month notice to arrange another job for him/ her and confirm that he/ she is going to be fired at the end of 30 days from that day.
(iv) Then fire him/ her.
Just avoid doing anything suddenly. Because, he/she may have some temporary issues that might have prevented him/her from performing well.
The above process may give sufficient chances for him/ her to improve.
But, there should be some merciful considerations in exceptional cases. If that employee has any physical or mental challenges, do not fire him/ her immediately. Give him/ her less targets and fire him/ her giving more chances to improve.
Never use unparliamentary words against any employee. Treat him/ her gently and respectfully though he does not perform well. Just take official steps.
Thus, firing an employee properly giving sufficient time to improve is not sinful.
(Role of Free will in adding or avoiding karma! Detailed Explanation! READ HERE!)
Because you are doing your duty as the manager or owner of a firm.
Performing one’s own assigned as well as permitted duties do not add to your karma though it involves some pains to others for their mistakes.
Krishna encouraged Arjuna to perform his assigned duties as a kshatriya by fighting the war though his kiths and kins may die in the war.
Because, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (18-47):
“It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.”
So, though you commit any unplanned innocent mistakes in your assigned duties , it won’t add sins for you.
So, properly appoint and also properly fire the employees. You need not appoint or keep inefficient employees who are not ready to improve him.
Hope you are clear whether firing our employees adds to Karma.
(Doubts on the judiciary system (Karma) of Krishna – Explanation! READ HERE!)