How to Fire an Employee?
No matter how much you think it over, firing someone can’t be pleasant. But sometimes it is best to let a person go rather than wasting your time or money on them. If you are from human resources and have been assigned the difficult task of firing someone, here are some tips to help you out.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise
Firing should always be the last step of the review process. If an employee isn’t doing well, you must first warn them that if they continue doing the same, they may even face termination. This will make them change their ways. And if they still continue to perform poorly, you can let them go, but never ever let it be a surprise for the employee. Also, after the warning, you should give at least four weeks to them to clean up their act.
Do it privately
Though you might think that taking them out on a lunch and then firing them might be easier, it’s actually not. The best place would be a neutral area that has a door (like a conference room). This way you can have a private meeting with the person and explain them why you have arrived to this decision. Getting fired is not a pleasant experience and the employee might have any emotional outburst. For this reason, it is always best to do this in private.
Be prepared
Make sure you are prepared with enough reason. The employee might ask you questions, so you should be ready to answer them. If you think there is a lot to be covered, you can note down some points and tell them where you faced problems with their behavior or work strategy. Along with that, be prepared for some intense emotions, as firing can have a strong emotional impact on some people.
Change passwords
While you are having a private meeting with that employee, have someone change the important passwords, because the fired person can now tamper with company data. Also, have someone change their access rights to confidential information while you talk to that employee.
Empathy is good, but not too much of it
You should be compassionate- that is very important. When someone’s employment is terminated, they mostly have no other source of income. So this can be a very bad moment for them. It is important to be human and be empathetic towards them. But also make sure you don’t get too compassionate and sugarcoat it all. Sometimes the clarity of the firing process is lost because managers try to cook up a cover story so that the employee doesn’t feel hurt. Just stick to the raw facts and keep compassionate behavior.
Let them go immediately
Once the firing process is over, let them leave immediately because they might be very upset right then. They can collect their stuff later when they feel a bit more in control. This is the better than making them collect their things right there and then. But if they prefer taking their stuff with them, let them do that.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise
Firing should always be the last step of the review process. If an employee isn’t doing well, you must first warn them that if they continue doing the same, they may even face termination. This will make them change their ways. And if they still continue to perform poorly, you can let them go, but never ever let it be a surprise for the employee. Also, after the warning, you should give at least four weeks to them to clean up their act.
Do it privately
Though you might think that taking them out on a lunch and then firing them might be easier, it’s actually not. The best place would be a neutral area that has a door (like a conference room). This way you can have a private meeting with the person and explain them why you have arrived to this decision. Getting fired is not a pleasant experience and the employee might have any emotional outburst. For this reason, it is always best to do this in private.
Be prepared
Make sure you are prepared with enough reason. The employee might ask you questions, so you should be ready to answer them. If you think there is a lot to be covered, you can note down some points and tell them where you faced problems with their behavior or work strategy. Along with that, be prepared for some intense emotions, as firing can have a strong emotional impact on some people.
Change passwords
While you are having a private meeting with that employee, have someone change the important passwords, because the fired person can now tamper with company data. Also, have someone change their access rights to confidential information while you talk to that employee.
Empathy is good, but not too much of it
You should be compassionate- that is very important. When someone’s employment is terminated, they mostly have no other source of income. So this can be a very bad moment for them. It is important to be human and be empathetic towards them. But also make sure you don’t get too compassionate and sugarcoat it all. Sometimes the clarity of the firing process is lost because managers try to cook up a cover story so that the employee doesn’t feel hurt. Just stick to the raw facts and keep compassionate behavior.
Let them go immediately
Once the firing process is over, let them leave immediately because they might be very upset right then. They can collect their stuff later when they feel a bit more in control. This is the better than making them collect their things right there and then. But if they prefer taking their stuff with them, let them do that.