How To Fire Someone: A guide for firing an employee

Firing an employee: You know you have to fire someone in the morning...but how?
www.howtofiresomeone.com, termination, employment termination, firing employees

www.howtofiresomeone.com, termination, employment termination, firing employees

How to Fire an Employee: The What If's

In a perfect world, after a firing, the now ex-employee would stand up, shake your hand, thank you for the opportunity to work at your company, and then leave. But we all know we don’t live in a perfect world, and firings are never that easy. Once you deliver the news, a number of things can happen. I call these the “what if” scenarios you need to be aware of and prepared to handle.They are:

What if the employee gets hostile or violent?
If you suspect the employee may get violent, check with your company’s security office to know what security options are available. You may want someone from security present outside your office door to escort the person to his or her car.

Sometimes the people you least suspect of getting violent are the ones who pose the greatest challenge. That’s another reason why you want someone from HR or a peer manager present. If the employee suddenly becomes a real threat, you may even say, “I’ve already called the police and they’re on their way.” Even if you have not called the police, the possibility of the police coming may be enough to calm the person down.

What if the employee offers numerous rebuttals as to why everything wasn’t his or her fault?
Let the employee vent, but just for a minute or two. Listen to the person’s intent but don’t vary from your position. You might say, “I understand that you attempted to change this behavior. We did have that conversation many times. However, the performance never did change. Therefore I need to proceed with this action.”

If the employee keeps giving rebuttals, stop him or her and say, “I’ve described for you four times already why this decision has been made. I need you to focus on the fact that this is not optional.”

Some employees may try to buy time by asking to see the documentation leading up to the firing. Don’t fall into that trap. You want the person out, not sitting in your office for an hour plea-bargaining to keep his or her job. You would have shown the employee all the prior written warnings during your progressive discipline sessions. So there’s no need to rehash all that old information now. Just keep the person focused on what is happening now, this moment.

What if the employee threatens to sue for wrongful termination?
Again, let the employee vent. Don’t try to dissuade the person from taking that course of action, as that may lead him or her to believe that the firing could be negotiated. Most organizations have a grievance or complaint procedure, so encourage the employee to go that route. You could say, “You have that right to investigate that option.” Then, restate the reason for the termination, as in, “We agreed on this date that you would improve your sales. You have not done it. That is the reason for this termination.”

What if the employee wants to hang around and talk to the remaining employees?
Your terminated employee will need some time to clean out his or her work area. In order to ensure that he or she doesn’t dawdle, state a time limit (“please take fifteen minutes to gather your belongings”) and provide an escort. If the employee does start talking to other employees, let them talk…but not for long. Restate the time limit. While you can’t always control whether the employee hangs around and talks, you can discourage it with time limits.

What if the employee asks about employee assistance programs?
Most experts recommend that companies offer transition counseling to terminated employees. If your company offers it, then tell the employee this information. Don’t withhold the information, no matter why the person is being fired. This counseling should provide information on how to collect unemployment (if applicable), as well as information on other important resources for job seekers. For one directory of employee assistance program providers, go to this link: http://www.eap-sap.com

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I want to hear from you! If you have an outrageous, totally out of the ordinary story about getting fired, let me know.
I will try to print it in our next e-zine.

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