Delivering bad news- We have all been there!

If I had en employee who performed at substandard level and received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers as well as displayed confrontational behavior that created a hostile environment, I would handle this situation very carefully. I would first gather any pertinent information to this situation, including all complaints from the customers and co-workers so I have evidence to support my case. Once I gathered the complaints I would than gather any information I could find related to his work performance so I have something to show to the employee how his work has only been fair thus far. I could also pull out files or get information about other employees and how their performance exceeds expectations so that he can see where he stands in the company. Not necessarily to compare and make him feel bad, but to show what the company expects from its employees and where he can grow and improve as an employee. Once I feel comfortable enough with all the information I have gathered, I will than choose a good time and place to call the meeting. At the meeting, I would start off by saying something along the lines of, “You have been here 2 years and there has not been a problem/concern until now…this is something that can be easily handled we just need to address it now…” I would continue on by stating the problem and the reasons why we are here. After I explain the problem, I would listen and let him explain his side of the story. If there is any dispute about the reasons I gave him, I would have proof of complaints to show him as well as information about his work performance.  I would not let this come to a “he said, she said” conversation, I would base it solely on the facts that I have gathered. I would let him know what we expect out of our employees and that if he feels he can not give that to our company than he must consider other options of employment. I would let him know I would rather us come to an agreement where we are both satisfied but would understand if he feels differently. If he feels that he can do better, control his behavior and acknowledges his actions, than we will focus on solutions in making room for improvement both in his performance and behavior. Throughout this whole meeting, I would be very careful on my wording and my tone of voice. If I felt that at anytime either of us was getting loud or getting to emotional, I would have stopped the meeting and allowed us to stop, think and gather our thoughts until we felt we could continue on in a professional manner.  Once we both came to an agreement on how to handle the situation, the meeting would end. I feel that the way I approached this situation would have worked very well. I gathered important information that would have backed up my argument, picked the right time and place to have the meeting, I planned my approach, focused on facts and not emotions, I listened to the other person, I gave options as well as explored other options.