{"id":31770,"date":"2026-09-10T12:56:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bacciardipartners.it\/?p=31770"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:56:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:56:33","slug":"dismissal-for-poor-performance-when-is-it-really-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bacciardipartners.it\/en\/dismissal-for-poor-performance-when-is-it-really-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Dismissal for Poor Performance: When Is It Really Possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michele Sacchi<\/a> \u2013 Of Counsel, Labour Law Department<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Si<\/p>\n

One of the most delicate situations for entrepreneurs and HR managers is certainly that of an employee who, over time, records a level of productivity significantly below the company\u2019s expectations or that of comparable colleagues.<\/p>\n

The question that often arises is straightforward: can an employee be dismissed because they \u201cproduce too little\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n

The answer is yes, but only under very strict conditions.<\/p>\n

The Italian Supreme Court, including in judgments no. 9453\/2023 and no. 20284\/2023, has reiterated that dismissal for poor performance constitutes a form of dismissal for subjective justified reason pursuant to Article 3 of Law no. 604\/1966 and therefore requires proof of a serious breach of the employee\u2019s contractual obligations<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Simply failing to meet targets is not enough<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The case law is very clear on one fundamental point: in an employment relationship, an employee does not normally assume an obligation to achieve a specific result, but rather an obligation to perform their duties with appropriate diligence.<\/p>\n

This means that the mere failure to achieve targets, budgets or KPIs is not, in itself, sufficient to justify dismissal.<\/p>\n

The employer must instead demonstrate that the poor performance results from:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • negligence;<\/li>\n
  • lack of commitment;<\/li>\n
  • insufficient professional diligence;<\/li>\n
  • culpable and repeated conduct by the employee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    In other words, it is not enough to show that the employee \u201cperforms poorly\u201d: the employer must prove that the poor performance is attributable to the employee\u2019s own conduct<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    The elements that the Supreme Court considers decisive<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The most recent judgments place particular emphasis on a number of key factors.<\/p>\n

    1. Clear and verifiable objectives<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The employer must be able to demonstrate:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • work programmes;<\/li>\n
    • KPIs;<\/li>\n
    • productivity standards;<\/li>\n
    • assigned objectives;<\/li>\n
    • objective evaluation criteria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The more these elements are formalised and shared, the stronger the basis for sustaining the dismissal.<\/p>\n

      2. Comparison with colleagues<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      A central element is the comparison with comparable employees.<\/p>\n

      The Supreme Court considers it legitimate to assess, for example:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • clients acquired;<\/li>\n
      • sales visits;<\/li>\n
      • matters handled;<\/li>\n
      • sales completed;<\/li>\n
      • production volumes,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        by comparing the employee\u2019s results with those achieved by other employees performing similar duties.<\/p>\n

        3. Persistence over time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        An occasional decline in productivity is not sufficient.<\/p>\n

        Poor performance must be:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • consistent;<\/li>\n
        • repeated;<\/li>\n
        • significant over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          4. Disciplinary procedure<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          Since dismissal for poor performance falls within dismissal for subjective justified reason, the disciplinary procedure provided for under Article 7 of the Italian Workers\u2019 Statute must be fully complied with:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • written notification of the allegations;<\/li>\n
          • opportunity for the employee to present a defence;<\/li>\n
          • assessment of the employee\u2019s explanations;<\/li>\n
          • proportionality of the sanction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            A matter requiring particular caution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

            Many disputes arise from allegations that are too generic or from purely \u201cintuitive\u201d assessments of an employee\u2019s poor performance.<\/p>\n

            By contrast, dismissal for poor performance requires a highly technical approach based on objective criteria, proper comparisons and a rigorous evidentiary framework.<\/p>\n

            For this reason, preventive assistance from professionals specialised in employment law and industrial relations often makes the difference between a defensible dismissal and high-risk litigation.<\/p>\n

            The Employment Law and Industrial Relations Department of Bacciardi Partners<\/strong> regularly assists companies, HR managers and corporate groups in managing complex disciplinary matters, supporting management both at the preventive stage and in any subsequent litigation.<\/p>\n\n

            <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            By Michele Sacchi \u2013 Of Counsel, Labour Law Department One of the most delicate situations for entrepreneurs and HR managers is certainly that of an employee who, over time, records a level of productivity significantly below the company\u2019s expectations or that of comparable colleagues. The question that often arises is straightforward: can an employee be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":31776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDismissal for Poor Performance: When Is It Really Possible?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One of the most delicate situations for entrepreneurs and HR managers is certainly that of an employee who, over time, records a level of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bacciardipartners.it\/en\/dismissal-for-poor-performance-when-is-it-really-possible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dismissal for Poor Performance: When Is 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