Terminating an employee is often a difficult situation, but there are ways to ensure that both parties are left with their integrity and self-respect.
When faced with the situation of terminating an employee, focus on three areas:
There are ways to create a termination process that focuses on a positive future for the employee you have to terminate and a positive reputation for the company. These include:
Terminations often result from an emotionally charged situation that can spark irrational judgment on all sides. Terminating an employee should rarely happen in the heat of the moment. It should instead involve an assessment of the facts. The conclusion to terminate should always require two or more approvals to ensure that an objective decision is being made
While this is not considered mandatory for companies, the provision of career transition support is becoming a popular choice. It benefits you and your employees:
The outplacement program can include career and personal counselling, assistance with resume writing, training on interview skills and help in finding new job opportunities
Every termination is unique and should be reviewed within a timely manner to ensure that the information gathered is still fresh on peoples’ minds. Solicit feedback from your team to ensure that everyone has a chance to express their own perspective.
Every effort should be made to ensure that other employees do not leave as a result of the termination.
The process of terminating an employee can be a valuable opportunity for your startup to gain insight into ways to improve the termination process and to work with employees who are unhappy about how the termination was handled. A committee can be used to review terminations on a more formal basis if required.