re: Firing someone...

Okay, you need to look up your office policy manual that this fella/fellerette got when they signed on.

They more than likely signed off on the fact that they read & understood it.

Then, you need to realize that you're not going to be able to take care of it in one day. Do that & they will hit you up for unemployment, & more than likely use it against you in other ways, as well. More headache than its worth.

You will need to begin to document the issues in writing.

Step 1: Send him/her an e-mail scheduling a meeting regarding their policy manual.

Have the section regarding personal conduct & office behavior printed out with an extra copy for them, with the pertinent sections highlighted. Be firm, clear, & direct. Use your policy manual if you've got one, but make sure you tell them that as a result of this meeting, you'll be sending a follow up e-mail to reiterate-in writing-the results of the meeting.

That's your 1st step.

2nd step is to nail his or her arse to the wall in short order immediately after that happens with the most recent thing that occurred, and indicate that you "were not aware" of the incident until afterwards.

Again document in writing this issue, and reprimand them in writing, and send a read-receipt on it.

From there, put them on a Corrective Action Plan that's so tight you'd see a fart bubble down the back of their thigh if they were standing.

First offense, they're done, and you've got 3 separate incidents on paper, and you've shown where there's a habitual pattern that you've documented in several instances.

If your company doesn't have a policy manual, then its either too small and you should just 86 them out of hand and say screw you, or your company's HR department is pretty dumb and you should stop & think about that.

But, document the hell out of it, and you'll be in the clear when it comes to them filing for unemployment, or coming after you via other methods.

Read Receipt every single e-mail you send, and hit them with the first meeting without addressing the issue at hand, to make them accept it. Following up with a discussion about their behavior in the post-meeting e-mail seals their fate.

You may think its complicated, but you'll save yourself some money & some time if you insulate yourself via documentation & a good process.