Don’t Fire Them is an idea or approach to managing personnel that emphasizes the benefits of keeping employees over firing them The concept urges employers to find ways to keep an employee in a particular role, or at the least, to find alternative roles for him/her within their organization, instead of firing the worker outright. This strategy is based on the notion that any disruption to an organization caused by the loss of an employee has a cost that is difficult to quantify. Moreover, there are often hidden costs associated with recruiting and training a replacement. From this perspective, it is much better to work with an existing employee.
One of the best examples of the Don’t Fire Them concept has been seen in the retail industry. Many companies have begun emphasizing the idea of cross-training employees for multiple roles. This reduces the amount of time it takes for an employee to learn a new skill and also allows an employer to keep an employee that may not be well-suited for a particular role, but could be a valuable asset in another area.
A second example has been found in the customer service industry. Companies in this sector often emphasize the importance of customer retention and customer satisfaction. While firing a customer service representative may solve an immediate problem, it can potentially hurt the reputation of an organization by creating a negative customer experience. For this reason, managers often prefer to spend the time necessary to train and retrain customer service representatives, or to find alternative roles for them within the organization, before firing them.
Third, the Don’t Fire Them concept has been seen in the construction industry. In this sector, it is often difficult to find qualified and experienced workers who can fill certain roles. As such, making the effort to retain those workers who have experience is beneficial to the organization. This can be seen in the manner in which the firm may offer additional training to help the employee reach his/her full potential, or in the way the employee may be given an opportunity to work in another part of the organization, such as maintenance or administration.
Fourth, the Don’t Fire Them concept has also been seen in the healthcare sector. Healthcare organizations are often concerned about the cost of replacing personnel who have specialized knowledge or skills. For this reason, healthcare organizations often prefer to develop training and other programs that enable current personnel to increase their knowledge and improve their skills, rather than firing them. Moreover, a healthcare organization may seek to develop alternative roles for personnel who can’t perform their current duties.
Finally, the Don’t Fire Them concept has been seen in the technology sector. With the rapid pace of change in technological fields, organizations may choose to give their employees the opportunity to obtain new certifications or complete courses that enable them to keep up with the latest trends. Additionally, organizations may attempt to find alternative roles for employees who can’t keep up with the changing technology. For example, an IT technician may be given a role in software engineering, instead of being fired outright.