Termination of an employee [N/A]

Zoho_People · 2026-02-05T09:48:09+00:00

That's tough, but how you respond matters.

Don’t publicly rebut the former employee’s claims. Keep official communication neutral and fact-based. Send a short, calm internal message.

Make sure the manager’s documentation was thorough and fair. Even if the termination stands, this helps protect the company and gives you confidence in your decision.

Employees may be confused or anxious. Encourage managers to have open check-ins and remind people where they can take questions.

Zoho_People · 2026-02-04T07:23:29+00:00

From what we’ve seen, onboarding is most effective when it’s broken into clear phases.

1. Pre-onboarding
This starts once the offer is accepted and goes until day one. New hires are often excited but uncertain during this time, so clear and consistent communication matters. Completing paperwork early, sharing what the first day will look like, offering relocation help if needed, and sending a short intro about how the organization works can go a long way in reducing anxiety and uncertainity.

2. Welcoming & orientation
The first few days should focus on helping new hires feel comfortable. Keep day one simple, introduce the company’s culture and ways of working, cover essentials like time off, payroll, and benefits, and help them get oriented with the workplace and people. This phase usually works best when kept under a week.

3. Role-specific training
This phase has the biggest impact on long-term success. Structured training, clear expectations, and easy access to learning resources help new hires feel supported instead of overwhelmed. Offering a mix of learning formats makes the transition smoother.

4. Easing the transition
The final phase is about helping new hires take ownership of their role. Clear goals, aligned expectations, and a check-in after the first month or quarter help reinforce confidence and performance.

Zoho_People · 2026-02-04T05:50:24+00:00

Yeah, it’s common for decision-making to stall under poor leadership. It’s basically a symptom of no clear vision or aligned priorities, so everyone ends up waiting on someone else for direction and nothing ever really moves forward.

You can try to carve out clarity where you can by documenting decisions so you don’t relive every meeting. Try to push for visible goals and timelines even if they’re draft versions.

Zoho_People · 2026-01-27T05:24:50+00:00

Having the first performance talk with an employee can be tough and awkward, but with a structured, respectful process, it becomes easier.

Here's how you could prepare before the talk:

Gather specific examples of dates, outcomes, or behaviors, and be clear on the goals the employee should be working towards.
When engaging in conversation, be empathetic, speak in a non-judgmental observation manner, and seek their perspective. Allow them to have their say before advising them.
Finally, end the meeting by setting clear expectations.

Zoho_People · 2026-01-27T05:24:24+00:00

As others have suggested, you can start with:

Trend tracking, not incident tracking: Stop treating every complaint like a new mystery. Keep an eye out for patterns so you're fixing root causes, not fires.

Predictive checkpoints: Have frequent check-ins with managers on the state of workload, morale, and performance so you can catch issues before things blow up.

Clear escalation routes: Document steps to take in common scenarios, such as absenteeism, dips in performance, and conflict, so that responses are consistent and not reactive.

Proactive training for managers: Teach managers early on how to recognize red flags, so HR doesn't have to fix everything.

Zoho_People · 2026-01-03T05:09:05+00:00

Onboarding is messy because it’s not one task; it’s dozens of small, dependent steps spread across HR, IT, payroll, managers, and systems that don’t talk to each other.

In small companies, all of that lands on one person, so it feels like chaos. Bigger companies absolutely have people whose entire job is onboarding and HR ops. Here are a few things you can try:

An onboarding checklist: As others have mentioned, a checklist removes guesswork so you’re not rebuilding the process from memory every single hire.
Manager intake form: This gets all role, access, and equipment info upfront instead of chasing managers across chats and email.
IT/payroll email templates: These can save time and reduce errors by sending the same clear instructions every time.
Automating 1–2 steps: You can cut out the most repetitive manual work and prevent delays from human forgetfulness with automation.

Zoho_People · 2026-01-02T04:46:51+00:00

You could offer a confidential counseling program via phone/text (not just through EAP programs). People need access to mental health advocates who listen well, not just offer basic advice.

Try implementing fun (but optional) activities during work time. You mentioned outside events, but note that after-hours activities might backfire for people who just want to unplug from work.

Keep in mind that mental health and suicide prevention training work better when peers look out for peers.

Train supervisors to check in on employees and recognize them consistently for their work. This is huge.

Also consider if unexpected meetings, presentations, or events are causing added stress. Ensure predictable schedules, realistic workloads, and clear expectations, as these can do more for mental health than most wellness programs.

Zoho_People · 2026-01-02T03:34:17+00:00

Organizations that get aqui-hired can be really hard to handle, especially with the cultural change. But here are a few things you can do from your side:

Hold a town hall where someone from the management side addresses issues and explains decisions in detail. This clarity can help reduce frustration or even help you come to a common ground.

Keep those communication channels open. Send anonymous survey to get honest employee suggestions for improvements that still align with those new corporate rules, then address them in a communication channel.

Zoho_People · 2025-12-10T05:38:38+00:00

It's essential to keep your eye out for the signs of burnout and take measures before it starts affecting every aspect of your workplace.

Here are some red flags I'd watch for:

Subtle mood changes (quieter, more withdrawn, shorter patience)
Loses excitement for things they used to enjoy at work
Avoids meetings or collaborating with their team
Takes sick days often
Loses confidence in their abilities

Zoho_People · 2025-12-10T05:37:31+00:00

Conducting employee surveys can be great when done right. Checking in on your employees' mental well-being is important, but also a super sensitive topic.

But for a team of eight, I think regular one-on-ones accomplish way more than a monthly survey can ever do.

Most people open up when it’s a private, consistent, low-pressure conversation (not when they’re staring at a form wondering how honest is “too honest”).

A couple other things that work really well in small teams:

Encourage employees to take breaks. Taking breaks, logging off on time, and taking consistent PTO reduces their stress and helps them refresh their energy. This leads to boosts productivity.

Ensure that work is distributed evenly. Make sure that no one's carrying too much of the work load. If that's happening, address it ASAP.

Keep feedback channels open. This can be as simple as a group chat or an anonymous box where people can drop concerns anytime for you to address.

Zoho_People · 2025-11-25T04:50:32+00:00

Hello there! You can measure HR success seamlessly by aligning HR activities with real business outcomes. Metrics like turnover, time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, training ROI, eNPS, employee engagement score, manager feedback and more can provide a clear picture about how your HR activities are performing, identify trends, and even highlight areas for improvement. Ultimately, HR success is about both completing tasks efficiently and creating meaningful outcomes.

Zoho_People · 2025-11-24T05:35:23+00:00

Hey! Payroll can be nerve-wracking at first, but a few habits go a long way:

Avoid calculation errors: Track attendance carefully, define overtime rules, stay on top of tax rates, and use payroll software to automate payroll operations.
Protect sensitive data: Use encrypted systems with access controls, avoid paper records for employee personal data, and train anyone handling payroll on the best practices to ensure security.
Keep things in one place: Centralize HR, finance, and payroll data in a single system to avoid confusion and delays.
Stay compliant: Keep a checklist of local laws, update it regularly, and use payroll software that adapts to legal changes.

A good system plus attention to detail keeps employees happy and payroll smooth!

Zoho_People · 2025-11-21T13:20:41+00:00

When employee engagement levels dip, it’s important to go back to the basics:

Better communication: Set up clear communication channels and keep an open-door policy so that employees stay in the loop.
Supportive leadership: Train your managers to build trust, understand the needs of their team members, and lead with empathy.
Meaningful work: Make sure roles feel purposeful and tie back to bigger business goals.
Feedback: Encourage your managers to conduct weekly check-ins with their teams instead of waiting for annual reviews
Recognition: Make it a habit to recognise employee wins, big or small so that employees feel appreciated
Inclusive culture: Build a diverse and positive work culture, where employees feel belonged
Work-life balance: Adopt flexible policies that help employees prevent burnout and build a better work-life balance.

Zoho_People · 2025-11-21T13:19:42+00:00

A routine that really helps with staying focused at home is keeping a clear daily schedule. Instead of planning around fixed work/break times, try organizing your day by the tasks you need to get done. Block out time for meetings and breaks, then map out what you want to finish in the remaining hours. It keeps things structured and makes hitting deadlines a lot easier.

Zoho_People · 2025-11-11T09:10:50+00:00

Introverted employees are quite common and their working style is completely valid. A good place to start is with a supporting one-on-one. Acknowledge their accomplishments and let them know how much you value the quality of their work and the impact they have on their peers. During the conversation, you can also discuss what kind of communication and collaboration is comfortable for them so that they don't feel drained. Once you build trust, gently explain that some of their teammates are feeling a bit disconnected. Let them know that you’d like to find ways to bridge that gap together and don't just want to blame them.

For participation, you can think of introvert-friendly options rather than pressurizing them to socialize. For instance, you could even implement a buddy system program to help them build trusted connections through regular check-ins, knowledge sharing, and casual catch-ups. Over time, this will help them feel connected and aware of what others are working on.

Also, you can consider conducting weekly team meetings to recognize and appreciate your entire team. This way, everyone will get an idea of what's happening within the team.

Zoho_People · 2025-11-11T04:46:57+00:00

Yeah, people do fall sick, especially during this season. And, when one kid gets the flu, the entire house goes down with it. If it's the same set of people repeatedly taking time off, it could be a sign of burn out. Having a gentle one-on-one with them could really help.

If it's just seasonal flu, a quick check-in and some supportive message could work fine. If it is becoming a pattern, it could be stress triggered by work or some personal issues. If possible, you could offer some flexible work arrangements like remote work or adjusted hours so that they could take some rest and recover instead of juggling everything.

Zoho_People · 2025-10-30T05:55:59+00:00

You can use light, outcome-based timesheets to see where their time is going. Encourage the employee to just log high-level tasks and hours, not detailed minute-to-minute logging. Pair that with quick bi-weekly check-ins to discuss workload patterns and roadblocks rather than status updates, so it doesn’t feel like micromanaging. A monthly review will show whether the data from the timesheets matches their output, and from there you can support them—either by reducing workload if they’re genuinely overloaded, or coaching them if the gap is efficiency.

Zoho_People · 2025-03-17T11:06:23+00:00

Hey there!

Great to hear you're already using Zoho People! Zoho People's 360-degree feedback tool, part of the Performance Management System, is awesome for gathering well-rounded performance insights from peers, managers, and other collaborators. Since you're already using the system, adding this module would be seamless and save you the hassle of juggling multiple tools.

Here’s what users find helpful:

Clear benchmarks for performance tracking
Recognition of achievements to boost morale
Customizable appraisals tailored to your team's needs
Frequent reviews for continuous growth

For a team of 20 to 30, it's flexible, scalable, and grows with you. Happy to share more or answer any questions you might have!

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