If you work in management there will probably come a time when you have to fire someone. Firing someone is never easy and by all rights it shouldn’t be. It can become emotional, cause problems, and should not be taken lightly. It will not only affect the person being fired but also those who are left behind. To make it as painless as possible you need to be sure you have taken the needed steps prior to actually letting someone go. Below are five tips that may help with the process.

Give timely feedback. It’s going to be difficult to fire someone if they are not aware that there’s a serious problem. There may be times when the firing is due to a serious infraction of the rules, such as stealing, that demands immediate dismissal but more frequently the firing is because the employee has poor job or behavior performance over a period of time.

The moment you notice poor performance you should engage in face-to-face feedback with the employee. Let them know that the level or quantity of work they are doing doesn’t meet the expectations of their position. Explain what is wrong and what needs to change in order to meet expectations. Use simple direct terms and keep focus on the actual performance and expectations. Do not use personally opinions as a factual point. “You’re quantity of output is below the minimum required” is more acceptable then just saying “You’re lazy”. Define what is acceptable and suggest and discuss ways to improve. Give the employee a chance to talk. Listen to make sure you understand the actual working conditions and employee’s thinking. Document your conversations.

Match the consequences to the situation. If there continues to be performance problems, even after you’ve given your feedback, then the severity of the consequences should be increased appropriately. Discuss the situation with your HR department. There may be a “needs improvement” path to follow. For example, the first feedback may have been verbal, the second written, and the third may enter the employee into a monitored fixed time improvement program where it’s documented that without proper improvement separation is the final result. The goal of these actions is to make the employee clearly aware that termination is the final result if they do not change and improve. Again, document each step and any conversations.

Offer help. Beginning with the first feedback your job is not to fire the person but to find a way to improve their performance to meet and hopefully exceed the minimum requirements. You must coach them as to what they are doing wrong and how they can improve their behavior and performance. This may mean that you will need to watch them in order to best suggest how they may need to change. If it’s a matter of skills, you may want to offer them a class that will give them the tools and skills they need to reach the acceptable level of performance. Document the help offered and the results.

Be Prepared. So the employee hasn’t improved and you’ve decided that they must be removed from their job. Meet with HR and/or your immediate boss to discuss the situation. This will give you a chance to rehearse the process and reasons leading to this point and to get any advice they have to offer. There will also be many facts about the termination that you will need to know; does the person leave immediately, is there any type of package, etc. Know these things will insure that you don’t make any promises that can’t be kept. It’s a good idea, and in many companies required, to have a third party from HR or Management in the meeting with you. This prevents later allegations about what was said. There’s also safety concerns in case the person should get extremely emotional or even violent. If there is a fear of violence then security should be arranged prior to the meeting.

During the meeting:

  • In a calm and professional manner go over the steps leading to this point. Recap the feedback, process, consequences, and the help offered along with the results.
  • Explain the details of the termination and any packages or help the company may offer.
  • Ask for questions and give them a chance to express their concerns and grief.
  • Try to help them to keep as much dignity and pride as possible.

Add the termination details and final meeting notes to the documentation. Be aware of those that worked with the person and answer any questions they may have professionally. Respect and protect the fired persons privacy.

technorati tags:tips, termination, firing

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