Source: Thestar.com

Firing an employee can be a really difficult task and getting fired is never fun, even from a job you don’t even like.

However, as an employee, you are expected to showcase some positive traits within a work environment.

Source: Marie Claire

The reason, in most cases, employers fire their employees might be due to some personality traits not in compliance with the ethics of the company they work with.

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As an employer, you will occasionally be required to deal with difficult employees and have the grueling tasks of firing some of them.

Traits That Can Get You Fired As An Employee

Source: Joya life

No matter how talented you are or what you have accomplished, there are certain behaviours that instantly change the way people see you and forever cast you in a negative light.

Source: The resilient recruiter

Here are 20 traits that can get you fired.

1. Unethical Conduct 

Source: Career Addict

Unethical conduct covers a wide range of misbehaviour including dishonesty, fraud, slander, and theft. If you notice that an employee is acting in a way that isn’t morally correct, then it is an employer cue to get rid of them.

Having an employee with a bad attitude can damage your company’s reputation. This is even more important when it is a small business; to salvage your internal culture, you will need to terminate their contract without warning.

2. Resistance to grow

Source: Elliwhittam.com

An employee with no willingness to develop in all spheres of the organization is sending a wrong signal to his employer that he/she is not more interested in the affairs of the company. Employees need to grow as technical experts in their skills, and they need to grow as leaders. Leaders should publicize personal development as a “No-Fail” task and take active steps to evaluate subordinates on their relative growth.

3. Alcoholism Or Drug Addict

Source: Arete Recovery

Having an employee that is always intoxicated or taking drugs during working hours is an obvious reason for termination. This will clearly affect their performance and the company reputation, as well as the employer personality, will be drag in the mud. Who in their right mind would want an alcoholic or drug-addict as an employee?

4. Poor Performance

Source: Alternative Daily

Employees who fail to meet their employer’s expectations are at the risk of being fired. If you have given the proper training and guidance to help improve their performance, and they are still not meeting the correct requirements, you have a valid reason to terminate their employment. You must ensure you have documentation that describes repeated efforts to improve the employee’s skills.

5. Lack of Integrity

Source: storiesavvo.com

Integrity is a clear line in the sand, especially as position increases. Integrity is so common among our community that we often assume it as a default trait for all employees of an organization and fail to assess or teach it enough. Leaders must aggressively investigate any hint of integrity violations, as they are not problems that will fix themselves.

6. Dishonesty

Source: Rock.cafe.info

A common reason for termination is if the employee has been lying. Employees who lie about their work or credentials betray the trust between an employer and its workforce. If you cannot trust your workers, you have little choice but to let them go.

Dishonesty can also involve the manipulation of a position for personal gain, or the creation and spread of gossip about fellow workers and the company as a whole. In any case, such behavior is not acceptable and should be dealt with accordingly.

7. Misconduct

Source: Gabroy.com

If an employee has been sexist in any way, shape or form they should be fired. Sexual harassment cases should not be taken lightly and should be dealt with immediately. Likewise, gross misconduct is also unacceptable and possesses a threat to the safety of all staff members. There must be documentation or witness testimony confirming the incident.

8. Need to win

Source: Kolekitv. ME

If there is a winner there has to be a loser and no one wants to be a loser. When you make everything a competition it will be difficult for others to want to collaborate with you. Sure, everyone wants to win, but the most valuable lessons are learned from failures. Too much competitiveness can also negatively destroy collaboration, productivity, and office morale.

9. Arrogant

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Arrogant people often look down on the people around them. They tend to be judgmental, gossip and believe they are never wrong. At some level, they truly believe they are better than everyone else and only a few people deserve their respect, but even those individuals pale in comparison to them.

It is good to be an expert at what you do; even then there are times when you are going to be wrong. Those who know it all become isolated because they can make others feel disregarded. People who feel they are never wrong tend to be judgmental, talk about other people behind their backs, and try to control situations because they don’t trust that other people know what they are doing.

10. Too Many Absences

Source: biospace.com

Some employees are always late, frequently take sick days or unpaid holidays as they have exceeded their regular holiday allowance. These types of staff members are not hard workers and will not add any value to any company. Employers will need to keep a note of all their added absences and notify their HR department, before approaching the topic with caution. If they do genuinely have a health issue you may be in the hot seat for a lawsuit.

11. Lack of Commitment 

Source: Monster.com

Commitment is one of the most desirable qualities to an organization, you want to find a loyal employee that will grow and prosper. But, sometimes, it doesn’t pan out and you get an employee that cannot commit to a deadline, let alone the company. If the problem persists, it’s a good reason to fire them.

The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person and brings down the morale of the group. Employers are quick to catch on to naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.

12. Backstabbing

Source: rd.com

Stabbing your colleagues in the back, intentionally or otherwise, is a huge source of strife in the workplace. One of the most frequent forms of backstabbing is going over someone’s head to solve a problem.

People typically do this in an attempt to avoid conflict, but they end up creating even more conflict as soon as the victim feels the blade. Anytime you make someone look bad in the eyes of their colleagues, it feels like a stab in the back, regardless of your intentions.

13. Gossiping

Source: Tony Spitz

If you notice that a staff member is spending more time in the corner gossiping with other employees of like mind, then you should speak to them and give them a warning. If the issue persists it may be time to let them go.

Because wallowing in talk of other people’s misdeeds or misfortunes may end up hurting their feelings if the gossip finds its way to them, but gossiping will make you look negative and spiteful every time, guaranteed. Talking too much has gotten people in trouble at work and this can affect morale and productivity in ways that can cost the company money.

14. Damaging Company Property

Source: Safety health magazine

You hired an employee that seemed like a perfect fit, but, then got angry and turned into the incredible hulk. Whether intentional or not, if their actions led to damaging the company’s property and harming other employees, they must be dismissed and accompanied off the grounds.

15. Judgmental

Source: Forbes

Having an opinion is fine, however, constantly judging people and situations is negative and subjective. This is why judgmental people have such a difficult time maintaining relationships and maintaining decent professional relationships at work is essential. If you do have an opinion, frame it objectively by stating the facts and making an educated decision or conclusion based on those facts.

16. Controlling

Source: Talent Counseling

There is nothing wrong with trying to control a situation that may be getting out of hand. However, if you constantly try to dominate a person or situation, you limit collaboration, learning, innovation, and productivity while reducing morale. This type of restriction in the workplace stifles productivity and can negatively impact the bottom line.

17. Manipulating CV

Source: Reader’s Digest

This is without a doubt one of the top reasons to terminate someone’s employment. If they have told you they worked as a manager for example and you have hired them based on that experience, then find out that it’s untrue, you are justified to sack them with immediate effect.

18. Selfish

Source: Cbs news

Only thinking about how your participation and engagement will benefit you is a surefire way to get you negatively noticed. While it is important to do what you love, you also have to be willing to do things that may not be interesting or ideal. When people feel your disinterest, it affects collaboration and productivity, you will also miss out on opportunities to learn from and develop relationships with other people.

19. Falsifying Company Records And Theft

Source: professional diversification

Any type of deception is a crime; this unlawful action can lead to the employee not only fired, but being put in prison too. If your employee is carrying out any illegal activity you must notify the authorities as soon as possible

. Not only is it illegal, but it’s a sackable offense. This includes both petty thefts, such as a box of pens or notepad, as well as stealing money and big items or equipment from the company. Also using company property for personal business is also a punishable offense.

20. Overpromise and Underdeliver

Source: singularityhub.com

Some people have such overly inflated self-images that they either think they can do anything or crave the attention they get by making big boastful promises. But when their egos consistently write checks their capabilities can’t cash, that is a real problem that is not likely to be resolvable without a good shrink.