The Art of Firing Employees

One of the most difficult jobs of managers or supervisors has been firing their employees. There will be times and circumstances that managers may need to terminate some people from the workforce due to several reasons.

Although the reasons may be legitimate, the act of facing employees and telling them that their services are no longer required can be quite stressful. Here are some tips that will help you face this often common situation without having to feel so stressed about it.

Preparation

Preparation is key when there is a need to terminate an employee. Make sure that you get the inputs of the people above you as well as of the HR department before you finally decide on the inevitable.

It is important that you get all the available and the appropriate help that you can get from them as well as the support for your ultimate decision to fire an employee.

The Place

When choosing a location where you give the employee the inevitable news, there is only one thing to bear in mind- the place should be a neutral one. It would not be good to terminate an employee from your own office or in their own.

A good way to handle a termination of an employee is to have it done in a neutral area such as an empty conference or meeting room or in a vacant lunchroom.

The Time

Scheduling the to terminate an employee will also be important. Although suggestions may vary, most agree that the best time to hold a termination meeting with an employee would be early or late in the afternoon. Make sure that the schedule may not conflict with your own or with that of the employee.

Make sure also that you schedule the termination at a time and a location that will not put the terminated employee in an embarrassing situation afterwards such as having to go through a "walk of shame" in front of co-employees at a peak period.

It is also important to schedule the termination sometime during the middle of the week. This will allow terminated employees to be able to get legal or other types of advice from other people concerning the issue.

Scheduling the termination mid-week will also allow the employee to do something about the sudden news and not ruin a coming weekend thinking over what has just happened and not being able to seek help. Try also to avoid terminating an employee during special occasions such as birthdays or holidays. It can help avoid add into the trauma of being handed such devastating news.

The Procedure

A termination meeting should last about five to fifteen minutes. It should be a time to inform the employee of the news and should not be a time for debate. Be as straightforward as possible about informing the employee.

If they wish to get into an argument with the termination, try to avoid it as much as possible. Tell the employee to go through the grievance process or by writing a letter to air his or her side.

When security seems to be a problem, make sure that you have security personnel nearby in case the worst happens. It may also be good to have a representative from the HR department to document and witness the proceedings if possible or if the employee consents to having other people inside the room.

Try also to give the employee a detailed plan of what he or she needs to do after being terminated. Try to avoid leaving them clueless of what to do next.