In this case study, employment lawyer Mike Gallagher looks at a client case where a troublesome employee put their reputation at risk.
Overview and Background
The client, a multi-office regional, estate agent with strong local links and reputation. The client was having issues with one newer employee who was consistently undermining that trust and performing poorly at work. Among other things, the employee was double booking valuation appointments and viewings leaving clients frustrated when he failed to attend, his valuations were wildly inaccurate and he failed to return property keys to the office.
Client concerns and aims
The client was concerned that their trusted level of professionalism and customer service was being put at risk by the employee as this had already resulted in poor Google reviews and lost work.
The client wanted assistance in dealing with this matter as quickly as possible, with the ideal goal of managing this staff member out of the business before he could cause further damage.
What we did
We knew that time was of the essence for this client, acting as soon as the query was received. Our first question to the client was “what do you want to achieve?” their answer, was dismissal.
We are not afraid to dismiss and advised our client that due to the level of service of the employee, we could avoid lengthy disciplinary processes that would normally cause delay. We drafted a comprehensive dismissal letter for our client, laying out exactly why he was being dismissed in such detail as to defeat any argument that it could have been for anything else. Our letters and investigations are drafted to clearly state the specific reasons for dismissal, not just for them but for the eyes of anyone the employee may seek advice from in relation to a claim.
Outcome and benefits
The issue was raised with us and closed off within an afternoon. The employee was dismissed promptly, the headache was resolved for our client. Thankfully, they no longer had to worry about the employee sabotaging the long-standing trust that the local community had with their estate agency.
HR help and advice for your estate agency
If you are in the estate agency or lettings industry and want to ensure you have the right HR support who truly understands your business – please get in touch with the team who can carry out a free HR review and advice you on your HR headaches.
