Managing Difficult Employees: Is it OK to Sack a Top Performer?

You’ve got a sales superstar who’s smashing through targets and on paper are a top sales performer. The problem is, this person is also difficult, disruptive and actually a bit of an idiot. Are you going to keep or get rid of them? Is it even OK to sack a top performer?

This is the dilemma that many Team Leaders will face at some point in their career. Is it better to keep the disruptive employee (who is performing better than any other member of your team) or are you better off letting them go and focusing on the people that contribute more than just ￡￡￡?

Well, it can often come down to what it is you, as Manager, are willing to tolerate to hit target..

Throwing it way back to high school, we all had that one kid in the class that was constantly winding up the teacher and by default, taking up all their time. Remember how you felt about that kid? Well, I can tell you that kid drove me nuts. Why should he get all the attention for behaving badly, when the other kids were working hard and getting their homework done? Well, it’s much like that for the rest of your team.

Your superstar sales person might be closing deals but how is his/her behaviour affecting the performance of the rest of your team? Ultimately, your disruptive top performer might be the best sales person in the company, but if they are negatively impacting the rest of the team, it might be time to walk them to the exit. 

But what happens if your star performer’s departure means you miss this year’s target? How are you going to explain that to Senior Management? Well, there are creative ways of dealing with difficult employees without having to let them go… If you trust your star performer, let them Work From Home. Get them a laptop and phone and hell, maybe even throw in a car allowance and send them on their merry way. Sometimes the benefit of having a “Talented but Hard to Work With” employee outweighs the difficulties of working with them.

Ultimately, as the Manager it is up to you whether you’re willing to put up with bad behaviour for the greater good, but if you are on the hunt for your next superstar (without the headache), you know where to find us.