What are dealbreakers for keeping someone around?

Honestly, those both sound minor and fixable compared to the things I've experienced.  I had an employee show up drunk.  I had an employee steal from me.  I had an employee call in sick with Covid when she didn't actually have it and was out running around.  (I love Jobbers' GPS).  Honestly, I think tardiness and technology fear can be addressed and trained.  

I have to agree with you.  For us reliablity is a core value and someone who is always late is not reliable.  It is so hard to make the choice at times as they are "nice employees" but constantly disrespect company policies.  As we grew I learned that I had to let go of these people.  

There are things you can teach people and things you can't. I think being on time is hard to navigate as personal life can interfere with that, but it can be worked on. Family, sleep patters, traffic and location should all be considered. And not being able to use technology, I think both could be taught and worked on. I had a guy who was always 30-45 minutes late as he had to drop off his daughter in the morning. I completely understood his issue and we came to the solution that we would start his schedule at 10am and work until 6pm. It would actually give him a but more time in the morning so he isn't rushing to get to a 9am call then his schedule starts backing up all day.

There are important things you need that can't be taught, how to be personable, good communicator and smoothness. I personally would have worked on the troubling issues until I was pulling my hair out if I found someone who who checked more of the "unteachable" qualities.

I think when it's something teachable, you would definitely want to exhaust all options before letting them go. I feel like with all the problems that can come from the hiring and firing and chances you are taking with a new person to have the same problems and more. 

At the same time, my biggest point, is be on time. To be early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. I understand things can happen from time to time, but if it's always happening, then there is a bigger issue needing addressed and problem some work on their morning routine. But you can only help so much, everyone has to pull their own weight and be willing to put in effort. So if you have someone willing to learn and grow keep them and work with them. But if they are not taking accountability for their actions and trying to improve, then I would say it's time to move on. 

At A&A Trades & Acquisitions, LLC, dealbreakers for keeping someone on the team come down to integrity, accountability, and attitude.

1. Lack of Reliability: Not showing up on time, missing commitments, or failing to follow through on promises disrupts the whole operation. Consistency is non-negotiable.

2. Poor Work Ethic or Quality: Cutting corners, ignoring safety, or delivering substandard work undermines trust with clients and the team. We only keep people who take pride in doing the job right.

3. Disrespect or Negative Attitude: Teamwork is essential. Disrespecting coworkers, clients, or leadership, or bringing persistent negativity, creates a toxic environment we won’t tolerate.

4. Dishonesty or Lack of Accountability: Owning mistakes is part of growth. Blaming others, hiding errors, or bending the truth is a dealbreaker. Integrity is central to our culture.

5. Resistance to Learning or Improvement: Trades and business constantly evolve. Those unwilling to adapt, learn, or improve their skills limit both personal and team success.

In short, we keep people who are dependable, professional, respectful, and committed to growth—and part ways with anyone who consistently undermines those core values.

For me it's three things: honesty, work integrity, and hustle. Somebody told me early that excuses are worthless and it changed how I operated. I'll give context when something goes wrong but there's a difference between that and just deflecting.