December 2005
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IF YOU THINK FIRING AN EMPLOYEE IS EASY, THEN YOU DO IT TOO OFTEN. -----CONTINUED
FROM NOVEMBER 2005 NEWSLETTER Mind your Emotions. Firing is a business decision. It is normal to feel some apprehensive when you fire an employee; but, keep your emotions professional. Firing an employee in anger or haste can create a difficult situation. Being fired can create strong emotions in an employee, if you also are angry.... collusion. If you�ve followed a process for providing sound orientation and if you�ve coached the employee on what is required and how to do it, he should know, maybe before you do, that his work is deficient or his behavior is unacceptable. �If you can�t remove your emotions from the process, that�s even more reason to outsource HR functions,� says Remm.
Make a Decision. In small companies, business owners usually make hiring and firing decisions. In larger companies, managers often handle those matters. Remm recommends that an owner or executive require a manager�s justification for firing decisions. The manager must be able to both document and articulate the reasons for terminating an employee. �When you have to terminate someone, you should not be wrestling with the issue any more. If you are, you haven�t made the decision yet,� says Remm. Termination Meeting. When you inform the employee that they are fired it is highly recommended that you have at least one other person in the room, in addition to the employee. �Sexual harassment is the number one charge employees try to bring against employers when they are fired,� Remm says. It does not matter the gender of the individuals involved � just as long as there is someone else in the room, in addition to the employee. Then it�s not one person�s word against another�s. The other person shouldn�t be one of the employee�s peers. �Unless the employee has done something illegal on the job, I ask for his resignation and explain to him that it is always better for reference purposes to resign than to be fired,� says Remm. The employee may become emotional during the termination |
meeting. No matter how he reacts, be sure to treat him with dignity and respect. The meeting should be short. Remain calm and confident when speaking. �When I�ve terminated someone, it was rare that I spoke to him for more than five minutes,� Remm says. At the end of the conversation, stand up and tell the employee you are going to walk with him to his workplace to help him collect his possessions.
Let the employee take personal things but retrieve company equipment Have the employee give you all company-issued equipment (cell phone, pager, keys, credit card, etc). �Too many people fire employees and then expect them to return company equipment. Change the employee�s security code and computer pass word and disable his e-mail account the same day he is terminated. Escort the employee from the building, shake hands, and wish him well. This brings closure. It also prevents the employee from sabotaging computer systems or taking client files with him. If you�re worried about what the terminated employee may do, have another person (ie. security guard) help you escort him from the building.
Mindful of Morale. It �s best to dismiss an employee first thing in the morning at the beginning of the week. �That way, it doesn�t seem as though you�re trying to squeeze more work out of the person before letting him go,� Remm says. Naturally, other employees will want to know about the terminated employee. For legal reasons, you must be very careful about what you say to other employees. Simply let them know that the employee is moving on. Don�t ever tell them he was fired. Share this information only with middle managers or supervisors on a need-to-know basis. �If you have to do a lot of work to rebuild other employees morale after you fire their coworker, you may have made the wrong decision to fire that person,� says Remm. �You protect morale by making the right hiring and firing decisions.�
Learning from it. Hopefully the employee you fire will learn from the experience, and improve. Also, hopefully you and your company will have learned from the experience and can hire the appropriate person next time. Exerts taken from YOU�RE FIRED, by Jill Tunick
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