Terminating an RA Posted on July 23, 2007 Christopher L. Edwards (bio) gives advice about what to do when a research assistant is not working out.

I will say those research assistants and others who work for you and with you in a research project, they need feedback when they’re doing well. They also need feedback when they are not doing well. That feedback should always be immediate. And that is, when you’re doing well, that pat on the back should come very quickly after you’ve done well. When you’re not doing well, that remediation plan should come pretty quickly, too. And we want to give people an opportunity to correct their behaviors when, in fact, they are not doing the right things.

Then ultimately, after a period of time, it is discovered between both parties that this is not gonna work, I think severing of the relationship must come in as quick of a way. And that is, it’s a very upfront, face-to-face communication about what went right, and also what went wrong.

Sometimes termination is the resolution for that. Sometimes movement to another project is the resolution for that. But I think there is acknowledgement that there must be a match between a research assistant’s skills and ultimately the project. And when that match is not there, it’s not a bad thing it’s just time for both parties to move on.

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