Letting an employee go is one of the most difficult tasks to navigate as a manager. And yet, talent management, cutting costs, and redundancy elimination following a merger may all be eventual business necessities.
Here are 8 tips to make it as painless as possible:
- CONSULT YOUR ATTORNEY. Make sure you understand the law and get coaching on traps to avoid.
- Read the employee handbook. It contains all your company’s policies and procedures.
- No surprises: make sure you’ve documented performance issues in the file.
- If this is a performance issue, this is your opportunity to put the employee on notice and give her time to correct the problem.
- If you plan to offer a severance package, a fair trade is a release of liability.
- Keep it short and resist the urge to “sugar coat” the news.
- Being “layoff-friendly” and helping the employee find a new job is a good idea, if possible.
- Respect the privacy of the departing employee, but don’t underestimate the importance of communicating news to existing employees when appropriate.
- MAKE SURE TO CONSULT YOUR ATTORNEY – involve your labor / employment counsel, or make the call to your outside counsel firm.
- Read and thoroughly understand your company’s policies and employee handbook. Be sure to review any offer letters or employment contracts.
- Don’t let this come as a surprise. If the termination is performance-related, make sure you’ve documented problems as they’ve occurred. Performance evaluations are a must, and many experts advise conducting them twice per year.
- When employees know where they stand, give them a reasonable opportunity to improve and let them know their employment depends on it.
- If you’re offering a severance payment or other consideration, be sure to have your attorney draft a release of liability.
- Keep it short and to the point, and preserve the dignity of the person being dismissed. Let them vent. Give honest answers, but avoid debating the issues. Be sure to have a witness present (preferably a member of the HR department).
- How long to give an employee to leave depending on a variety of circumstances and the reason for the termination. Sometimes, supervisors assist departing employees in connection with finding other opportunities. Offering assistance with finding new employment can go a long way and helps reinforce the message that this is a good place to work. At the other end of the spectrum, employees may be asked to gather their belongings under supervision and escorted out.
- Keep the details private, but be sure to communicate news of the departure at the appropriate time to others in the organization.
