I was asked to produce and record a class on the proper, professional, empathetic way to terminate employees.? Whether the termination is for not doing the job, violating a policy, laying off due to restructuring, whatever the case, letting someone go, no matter how much they might deserve it, no matter how much they know it’s coming, is still a devastating time for them.? And it's not fun for you either.? It shouldn’t be.
If a Team Member/Leader isn’t meeting expectations, it’s important to let them go.? Again, no Leader should love this part of their job.? But it is a valuable function of your job as a Leader. If you let them stay, the unacceptable behavior will continue, and it also sends a message to other Team Members/Leaders that they can get away with bad behavior.? Once that avalanche of badness begins, its hard to get back in front of it.
Here are some things to consider, to do, when the company and the employee should part ways:
- Be thoughtful about the day you choose to terminate someone.?Terminating on a Monday or Tuesday gives them time to tap their network and start their job hunt. Conversely, if you think the termination could get contentious, maybe consider doing it on a Friday to allow the Team Member the weekend to cool off (and reduce the threat of a workplace incident).
- Help them save face.?Let them go at lunchtime or at the end of the day after some of their coworkers have left. It’s kind to spare them the embarrassment of packing up their things in front of all their coworkers. Walk them through the shortest distance to the outside of the building.? Ask them where they are parked and decide what your travel route will be.
- Consult Human Resources before you terminate someone to make sure you’ve covered all your bases. They’ll be able to advise you on how to terminate a Team Member/Leader.
- Have a witness.?When you terminate someone, have a Leader or HR Leader with you in the room in case they threaten you or have questions you can’t answer.
- Have the meeting in a private room. The Team Member/Leader should have a clear path to the exit at all times if they want to use it.
- Get right to the point and be decisive — tell them they’re being terminated.
- Tell them why they’re being terminated, but don’t go into the nitty-gritty details. This is not a discussion/debate.
- Cover important follow-up information, including:
Explanations to coworkers
- End it graciously. Being terminated is scary. As their Leader, be compassionate. Keeping the termination professional and brief is how to terminate someone with empathy.
