A manager walks into an employee’s office and announces, “You’re fired,” then leaves. Another manager sends an email to an employee announcing their termination. And a third doesn’t even show up at the office, but lets the union rep handle the dirty work.
Think it doesn’t happen? Think again.
As one of the nation’s leading staffing agencies, Peoplelink knows these kinds of situations happen more often than you’d think. And while these managers are saving themselves a long, uncomfortable conversation with a soon-to-be-fired employee, they’re making themselves and their company look bad in the process. Furthermore, if there were no warning signs – such as documented performance issues – then the manager could possibly be opening the company up to a lawsuit.
So how can you ensure your managers terminate employment in a compassionate way with reduced liability? Here are some tips to pass along to them:
Make Sure There’s Fair Warning.
Lawsuits happen when employees get glowing performance reviews…and then get the boot. So don’t worry about being nice when it comes to reviews; be honest instead. If an employee isn’t performing up to par, document the issue and what the employee is – or isn’t – doing to resolve the situation.
Do Your Homework.
Once notice has been given, your employee is going to have a lot of questions. So make sure you’re prepared with the answers on issues like severance and benefit options. You may even want to do some research ahead of time on commonly asked questions.
Don’t Let Emotions Get in the Way.
If an employee responds with anger or denial, it’s easy to loose your cool. But don’t. You could say something that might come back to haunt you later.
Don’t Gossip About it with Staff.
Once the deed is done, don’t relate all the gory details to other staff members. How well – or poorly – you handle the process will have a big impact on how they perceive you.
While no manager enjoys firing an employee, by following the tips above, you can minimize any negative feelings from the terminated employee and your remaining staff.
Need to Fill a Vacant Position?
If so, Peoplelink can help. As one of the nation’s leading staffing agencies, our patented, six-step candidate evaluation process, Assurelink, allows us to dig deeper and obtain more information about each candidate. As a result, we can reduce the risk of future hiring mistakes. Contact Peoplelink today to learn more.
