“Employee played games on their phone at work and botched the job ... Can I fire a breadwinner with two kids?” [What do you think?]

[Financial News] A workplace superior’s account has emerged of struggling after an employee who frequently played games on their phone during work hours made a mistake that could cost the company dearly.
On the 1st, a post titled “Employee Who Plays Mobile Games During Work Hours” appeared on the workplace community Remember.
The writer, who said they were in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations, said, “The employee made a serious mistake this time, and it looks like the losses will be substantial,” adding, “They seem to have around 10 years of experience, but they also appear to play games on their phone frequently during work.”
They continued, “I wondered if the repeated mistakes were because they couldn’t focus on work, so I gave them chances, tried to speak to them gently, and tried both praise and reprimands. But the minor mistakes gradually turned into major ones, until the situation became impossible to control,” they lamented.
A said, “No matter how much I reviewed and monitored things, the employee missed something very basic that even someone at staff level would know,” adding, “They’re the breadwinner in a family with two children, but the risk of keeping them on is too great for our company.”
They added, “The CEO would listen if I shared my opinion, but it’s not easy to suggest firing a breadwinner with two children,” and asked for advice.
People who read the account responded, “First, get a written explanation of what happened and a formal incident report,” “Mistakes made while doing your best can be forgiven, but if someone causes losses by goofing off during work, they need to be disciplined accordingly, whether or not they’re a breadwinner,” “If the company imposes no sanctions, diligent employees may feel they’re losing out and lose their motivation to work hard,” and “If you’re going to discipline them, you need to follow proper procedures to avoid problems later.”
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