As is the tradition, there were several
NFL head coach terminations on "Black Monday"
– the day following the end of the regular professional
football season. None of these terminations were a surprise. NFL
head coaches understand that winning a lot of football games is a
job expectation and losing too many games is a terminable
offense.
Give Fair and Timely Feedback
Outside of sports, however, the criteria used by employers to
evaluate job performance is seldom as objective as wins v. losses.
Nonetheless, terminations based on performance should never be a
surprise. Employees should know what their roles are, what is
expected of them, whether they are meeting the employer's
expectations, and what the consequences will be if they fail to
meet such expectations. Conducting honest and fair performance
evaluations and communicating with employees about their
performance throughout the year, are important steps to effectively
manage employee performance.
