The article “Gave poor-performing employees the benefit of the doubt — and a plan” by journalist Phil Blair. The following paragraph stood out to me “Then, we review a specific list of what has to change, why, and by when. Most importantly, we ask this question: Are you willing to put in the work needed to meet our expectations? If the answer is an enthusiastic ‘yes,’ then we move forward. If their answer is ‘no,’ then we offer to shake hands and part amicably. We tell the employee that for the good of their long-term career, please quit us, don’t make us fire you. The burden of being fired from a job for underperformance follows you for a long time.”
This left me with a few questions. If one says “no,” how much time do they have to find new employment? Are they still able to obtain a letter of reference from this employer? Under what circumstances will one say no? The ones that came to my mind were a physically or emotionally abusive work environment. Has anyone ever been in such a situation? How did you handle it?
