Terminating Employees

What You Must Consider When Terminating Employees

Terminating employees is an unpleasant, but necessary task for managers. It is not for the faint of heart, and as a manager, it does not contribute to your popularity among the rank-and-file.

Terminating employees is an emotional minefield not only for the employee, but also for you. You may find your other workers look at you sideways. If the terminated employee has a family, rumors may circulate you. You may find out you have not only hurt "old Joe" but also his sickly wife and his three fair-haired children. Joe's parting gift is to make you seem cruel and heartless to everyone else. But even during the worst times, remember nonproductive and insubordinate employees will destroy productivity. They can even create unsafe working conditions. Sometimes you have no choice. You must fire the "bad apple."

But you will face certain risks terminating employees. Lawsuits today are more common. Anyone and everyone can file a lawsuit. Unfortunately, those employees who make the manager's life the most difficult are more likely to seek legal damages. If it gets to court, the judge usually favors the employee. Make sure you have solid documentation when terminating a person's employment. You must show the worker had a pattern of offensive behavior that you addressed repeatedly with disciplinary actions.

Terminating Employees in a Fair Manner

By following certain steps during the termination process, your actions and decisions will seem fair to a court. Be sure that you have records of previous evaluations. When did you address these issues? What were the dates? How did the employee react to his or her evaluation? Keep written records of all performance related memos and warnings.

Before the termination, consult human resources. Have a representative from this department present to witness the termination meeting. During the meeting, be as professional as possible. Remember if you terminate properly, you will not surprise the employee. You have gone over their behavior problems with them many times before. The employee will know that they are on shaky ground.

Be unemotional about the termination in front of the employee's coworkers. Recognize you terminated this employee because of your personal feelings toward him or her.

Although it is difficult, the employee and the workforce, you can get through it by following a standard process. Document well and act professionally. The termination and its effects will be over before you know it.

Now, how terminating employees is done.

A good severance package says a great deal about the humanity of a business manager. A manager can tailor it to the size and financial capacity of the business while, at the same time, create a world of goodwill within the community.

The employee who, like Bill Bailey, finds himself or herself thrown out the door with nothing but a fine-tooth comb, does not leave with the same dignity of the employee who walks out with a folder full of hope. An alert management is aware that when workers must be terminated through no fault of their own, it creates talk among that person's family and acquaintances. A good severance package allows that employee to tell others what the business "did for me" instead of what it "did to me."

Read more about creating severance packages.

One of the most essential tools of management when it comes to directing the activities of personnel is the written reprimand. First, it gets the attention of an employee who has great potential for your business but who needs to shape up. Many times a written reprimand will get the employee’s attention in a way that mere words cannot.

This reprimand, except in the most severe of cases, should not, however, be the first step in correcting an employee’s behavior. Verbal warnings come first. The number of these verbal warnings depends on the severity of the problem and your lenience. Note, though, you must document the verbal warnings in the employee’s personnel file. If the matter becomes more serious, you will need this data. The written reprimand should mention the verbal warnings that preceded it.