How to Fire Someone

Be honest, compassionate, and quick.

Fact checked by Kirsten Rohrs SchmittReviewed by Doretha ClemonFact checked by Kirsten Rohrs SchmittReviewed by Doretha Clemon

When firing someone, be honest, compassionate, and quick. No matter the cause for termination, telling a worker that their services are no longer required is difficult. You may cushion the blow with praise, justify it with numbers, or cite the worker’s poor performance as the reason—but it will never be easy.

Key Takeaways

• No matter what words you use, telling an employee their services are no longer required is difficult.
• For the worker, it means putting them in a precarious position in the future—it’s the end of regular income and the termination of any company benefits.
• The advice of many human resources leaders and senior managers when laying off an employee is simple: Be honest, compassionate, and quick.
• Never express anger or threaten to imperil the fired employee’s chances of finding another job.

Give Employees a Chance to Improve

Every employee should be evaluated using the same criteria for the position they hold. Employees should all be made aware of performance and conduct standards when onboarded and reminded throughout their tenure at a company.

If you’ve noted performance or conduct issues with an employee, one of the most important steps before firing them is to ensure they are aware that their performance might be lacking and that they have an opportunity to improve.

If they have been given enough guidance and opportunities to improve and they do not, they then become a candidate for termination.

Important

Under regular performance and conduct standards and a good feedback and evaluation system, employees should never be surprised to learn that they are being fired.

Best Practices When Firing an Employee

Here is some advice for making firing someone an easier process.

Be Honest

Tell the employee why they are being fired. You’re not doing the employee or yourself any favors by concealing the reason. You may cushion the poor performance assessment in various ways, but the truth must be told. For termination due to poor performance, a recent record of performance reviews will support your decision and justify it to the employee. It may also be used as evidence if a wrongful dismissal suit is filed against the employer.

Be Compassionate

Being fired can be very painful for an employee. They are placed in a precarious position—it means the end of regular income and the termination of company benefits such as health insurance coverage. If your firm has the capability, provide outplacement services or job counseling to help cushion the blow.

Be Quick

A quick, direct dismissal—while keeping the above recommendations in mind—is the most humane way to handle a layoff. You may want the employee to clean their desk that day, and it may be a good idea to have security escort the employee to the door. Being escorted to the door can be a humiliating experience for the terminated worker, but it can prevent any emotional outbursts.

What Not to Do

The manager doing the firing should never express anger, express too much disappointment, or threaten to imperil the fired employee’s chances of finding another job. Depending on circumstances, you may want to tell terminated employees that they might work as outside consultants, as part-time employees without benefits, or that they may be hired back at a later date when economic and financial conditions warrant it.

That said, you shouldn’t make promises or statements that can be interpreted as promises.

Termination Criteria Examples

There are some well-established criteria for evaluating an employee’s candidacy for termination:

• Poor performance, including lack of punctuality, absenteeism, or failure to produce desired results
• Resisting change
• Negativism
• Insubordination
• Not conforming to company values
• Questionable character or ethical lapses
• Criminal acts

What to Say When Firing Someone?

Firing an employee can be difficult, but it is best to note that their job performance caused them to be terminated while being compassionate and quick about it.

How Do I Politely Terminate an Employee?

The most polite way is to be compassionate and honestly focus on why they are being let go, such as job performance, while allowing them to maintain their dignity.

How Do You Fire Someone Without Getting In Trouble?

To reduce the chance of wrongful termination suits, it’s best to establish performance and conduct standards and have a feedback process that notifies employees of issues. Then, give them corrective actions to take and time to improve. The number of feedback sessions and chances given depends on the company and the circumstances. If there is a clear record of notification, guidance, and opportunity for improvement, there should be no problems.

The Bottom Line

Firing an employee is difficult, and means taking on the costs of finding and training a replacement and burdening others with that employee’s workload. Before terminating an employee, it’s best to conduct feedback sessions that identify issues and give employees opportunities to improve because you might be able to bring them back to a productive level.

However, if they fail to meet standards after the sub-par performance has been noted and you’ve made the decision, be honest, compassionate, and quick to make the process easier for all parties.

Read the original article on Investopedia.