It is never a pleasant business to terminate employees.
Nonetheless, the prospect presents itself and you must
take action. If the termination is for “cause,” you
must take great care must to keep from making a bad
situation worse. There are books and articles available
to guide a manager through this sticky problem.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to layoff employees
for economic reasons. While this presents a different
set of problems, you still must handle it delicately.
The bruised feelings of the former employee may express
themselves in ways that damage the business.
Problems Can Arise When You Terminate Employees
The decision to terminate employees raises several
different issues. How will the termination affect customers
or clients? You must contact them to let them know
they can expect the same quality of service they have
always enjoyed. It is unsettling for a customer to
find the friendly employee he or she always worked
with is no longer there.
When it becomes necessary to fire someone, another
question you must ask is, “How will this affect
the remaining workforce?” When a coworker gets
fired, rumors spread like wildfire. Most employees
think, “It could happen to me.” You may
need to reassure them and calm their fears. It is a
mistake to assume that by terminating one employee,
the others will increase their productivity. Worried
about their job security, these employees may unconsciously
decrease their productivity.
There are external forces at work here as well. There
are federal, state, and local laws that regulate employee
termination. When you decide to terminate employees,
you should brush up on these laws. If you do not, you
may be inviting a complicated lawsuit.
If you fire employees because of downsizing, keep
the all workers informed. Once you fire one set of
employees, the business needs might require more layoffs.
If this is the case, let the employees know they will
get plenty of notice before the next wave.
Also be aware that terminated employees may act irrationally.
You may need to change locks and security codes. In
short, a great deal of thought and preparation is necessary
before you terminate employees.
Our
recommended employee termination procedure.
Legal and fair.