These days terrible firing incidents are hitting the news headlines, where employers are laying off a significant number of employees, which is negatively impacting the organization and CEO’s reputation and goodwill. As if that was not bad enough, the firing process is also pretty insensitive in itself. Some of the organizations have just fired a large number of employees over a Zoom call, and some simply disabled the access. This makes it clear that employers need to learn the art of firing employees gracefully.
In some cases, firing employees is necessary for the betterment of the organization, yet it can be a challenging process. It is important to be respectful and professional when terminating employees. Handling the firing process well will save you from the embarrassment and guilt of unintentionally hurting your former employee, especially if you were on good terms with them for a long time.
Here are some helpful tips on how to fire an employee gracefully:
1. Choose a proper place and time: The most crucial part while firing the employee is that you should be prepared for it, and decide the most suitable place and time for the conversation. Firing over a zoom meeting, call, or email, is the most unprofessional and cruel thing to do. Ideally, it should be a quiet and private place where you can have a proper conversation and discuss the reasons for termination.
2. Be clear and direct: You should be clear and direct when stating the reasons for the termination and explaining why it is needed for the company’s benefit. It is better to avoid vague statements and avoid beating around the bush as this may lead to confusion and misunderstandings. Firmness and compassion must be combined at the same time, without sugarcoating.
3. Be respectful and professional: You should be respectful and professional throughout the conversation and try not to make anything personal. Give the employee some space and freedom to ask questions and be an empathetic listener to them. Termination is difficult to experience for anyone, it hits the employee mentally and financially; make sure that you don’t humiliate them, and maintain a professional tone.
4. Provide support and resources: Terminated employees are likely to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about their future, so you should provide them with the support and resources they need, such as severance pay, COBRA benefits, and other employee benefits. Also, acknowledge their contributions to the company. It would be helpful if you could provide them with a recommendation letter for their job search.
5. Maintain confidentiality: You should maintain confidentiality regarding the reasons for the termination, as it will improve trust among former employees and current employees. In addition to protecting the reputation of the employee, this will also keep you and the company out of legal trouble.
Final words
These were some of the things you should keep in mind when firing employees, which will facilitate the process for you and the employee. A graceful firing can be accomplished by choosing the right place and time, being clear and direct, being respectful and emphatic, offering additional support and resources, and maintaining confidentiality. Take a look at Compliance Prime if you would like to learn more about the legalities of firing.
