Dismissing An Employee

Dismissing An Employee: How To Have That Conversation

Firing an employee is often a tense and delicate matter. After all, termination discussions are delicate and require a lot of tact. But who has to deliver the bad news? And how do you do that in a productive way? In this article you will learn what is important in an optimal termination interview (and how you can prepare your managers for it).

What is a termination interview?

A termination meeting, typically conducted by an employee’s manager, is a brief meeting that outlines the reasons for firing an employee and some of the steps required. Depending on the context, it may be necessary to provide security services in the event of a disgruntled employee.

How long should a termination meeting last?

An average termination conversation should last no longer than 10-15 minutes. Of course, a manager should take the time to listen to an employee and answer any reasonable questions they have. But when it comes to firing an employee, this conversation should be direct and to the point.

Should you have a discharge interview?

Even if it feels uncomfortable, firing an employee requires a formal termination meeting. This is not only a given, but also a way to protect your employer brand. Finally, even employees who don’t perform well are better off leaving with a good idea of how the company handled things.

This is also important for internal purposes. Colleagues are close, and if one of them is dismissed in an insulting manner, word spreads quickly. The result: a poor working atmosphere, a lack of motivation and a decline in performance or productivity.

If you conduct an effective termination conversation that shows both appreciation and empathy, you will minimize your departing employee’s frustration and counteract negative consequences.

How does the dismissal process work?

There are a few steps you should keep in mind during the termination interview. These are part of the entire process when firing an employee. Here are some important points to keep in mind:

• Provide a comprehensive justification for the dismissal.
• Make sure the employee knows that the decision has already been made and is final.
• Give the employee the opportunity to express themselves and ask questions.
• Go through all relevant benefits and remaining items (holiday pay, etc.).
• Gather any relevant technical or other materials that the employee needs to return.

Remember: If an employee has worked on a critical or confidential project, you should take additional steps to ensure that all of this information is kept confidential.

Who should be involved in firing an employee?

The first choice should always be your supervisor. After all, he knows the employee’s private situation as well as the strengths and weaknesses best (e.g. from past feedback discussions). This gives him the opportunity to answer the employee’s questions and put himself in his shoes.

However, that doesn’t mean that the manager should always be the one to fire an employee. A human resources representative should always be present for three important reasons:

• HR managers are more familiar with the legal situation. If questions arise, they can answer them relatively easily.
• They can mediate and smooth things over in the event of an emotional reaction from the employee.
• In extreme situations, they can act as witnesses if a lawsuit arises over the dismissal of an employee.

So you can see that both the manager and the HR department have a role to play here. Both are critical to the situation for different reasons and should therefore be present whenever an employee is fired.

Should HR provide layoff training for managers?

A termination interview is not just a box to tick. Since no one likes to be the bearer of bad news, managers usually prefer not to have this conversation. This is of course completely understandable, but a task such as firing an employee should not simply be delegated entirely to the HR department.

As we mentioned earlier, both parties have a role to play. Therefore, managers need to be trained to have these types of conversations productively. In this way, they do not approach the exit interview with a system, preparation, and the understanding and empathy necessary for such an emotionally charged conversation.

So how can HR support? HR managers have the task of creating awareness of respectful termination discussions as part of professional separation management.

The expert Manuela Richter recommends making termination discussions an integral part of management development. They should generally be trained to deliver “bad news”, e.g. when rejecting vacation requests or criticizing in a feedback discussion, and not just once shortly before a wave of resignations.

How should you prepare for firing an employee?

In termination discussions, what matters is what managers say and how they say it. This requires thorough preparation. Ultimately, this helps the manager and the HR department to react confidently in the event of unexpected reactions from the employee to the termination.

Clarify the legal reasons for the termination

Regardless of whether your reasons for termination are operational, behavioral or personal, you must be able to argue with the employee and prove why you are terminating him or her. Therefore, list the reasons and check whether the termination is legal. Have a lawyer or your legal department do this too.

Find a suitable time

A Monday or Tuesday is suitable for a termination meeting, preferably in the morning. This gives the employee time to let the conversation take effect, ask open questions in a timely manner and, if necessary, obtain external legal feedback. This would hardly be possible on a Friday afternoon.

Find a suitable space

The usual “discharge room” or the open-plan office should not and must not be the place – for reasons of discretion. Instead, choose a meeting room that is unglazed and brightly lit. Outsiders should neither be able to see nor hear the conversation. Alternatively, the managing director’s office is also an option, if available.

Prepare documents

During the interview, all important documents should be in written form and handed to the employee. These include, for example: the letter of termination, the employment reference and any financial agreements, e.g. Severance payments.

Think carefully about what you want to say

“We are dealing with people here, so we need individual approaches,” says termination coach Hermann Refisch.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution that works for everyone, leaders can and should think about what they want to say in advance. Concrete formulations help to maintain focus in the conversation. Phrases like “Cheer up” and “It’ll be okay” should definitely be avoided.

8 top tips for firing an employee carefully

Dismissing an employee can be a major psychological burden for them. Therefore, the way you deliver your message and lead the conversation is crucial.

So make sure the conversation is broad and sensitive. Discuss specifically the reasons for the dismissal, but remain factual and objective and always remain polite and appreciative towards the employee.

Also, keep these eight points in mind:

1.Be honest!

You should also avoid misleading terms like “feedback conversation” or “performance review.” Otherwise you will create false expectations. Create a termination template or termination checklist to guide the conversation.

• This includes steps like:
• Short greeting
• Give notice of termination
• Give and explain reasons
• Wait for the employee’s reaction and respond accordingly
• Clarify next steps
• Arrange follow-up discussion

2.Get to the point

When firing an employee, don’t beat around the bush. Finally, a termination meeting should not last longer than 15 minutes. A long introduction, even with the best of intentions, will only unnecessarily confuse the employee.

This also applies to conversation in general, take this example as a guide:

• Don’t say, “It looks like your job is being eliminated!”
• Say, “I’m afraid I’ll have to fire you! The termination will take effect on [date].”

3.Clear reasons for the dismissal

State the reason for firing an employee in the first five sentences, without periods or commas. Then list specific points. Here are some of the main reasons for termination that might be relevant:

• Decreasing performance and quality
• Negativity
• Conflicts within the team
• Forced staff cuts within the company
• Closure of individual departments

For the last point, put concrete numbers on the table as to why it affects you in particular and draw comparisons with other employees. In any case, the termination must be understandable for the employee.

4.Avoid disruptions

Even though it seems obvious, it is still important. Not only should it be private and not visible to other employees, but you should also try to avoid cell phones, computer notifications, or coworkers’ knocks. When an employee is fired, there must be a reasonably peaceful atmosphere.

5.Prepare for negative reactions

There are three basic responses managers should prepare for:

• The controlled kind
• The emotional type
• The negotiating partner

The controlled type appears calm and doesn’t say much. The emotional type, on the other hand, cries or gets angry. The negotiating partner will try to negotiate compromises with you or delay the termination.

Managers should not respond to this but remain firm. If the reaction is very emotional, you should sympathize with the person concerned, but not allow it to influence your decision or throw you off course.

6.Own the conversation

The manager must remain in charge of the conversation and at the same time ensure that the conversation flows accordingly. In order not to be surprised by the employee’s reaction, good preparation is important here too. What to do if the employee gets angry? What if he starts crying? Or what if he gets violent? It is the manager’s job to calm the situation and bring it back under control.

This is how managers should behave during the termination interview:

• Polite, but not too warm: an emotional distance should be maintained throughout the conversation.
• Calm and determined: The manager should not be disturbed by the employee’s emotions.
• Clear communication, professional behavior: Regardless of how the employee reacts to the termination, your manager should not get involved in a dispute.

7.Focus on the next steps

What happens if you have terminated an employee? At this point, it is common practice to fire colleagues who have been laid off with immediate effect. This is seen as a sign of fairness.

The time off gives them the opportunity to process the layoff and think about their future. Communication with the team, handover and pro-rata vacation entitlement must also be clarified. This should either be paid out or granted.

What can you do as an HR manager? Offer your employee a follow-up discussion. Sometimes it helps to put thoughts into words and discuss them. As a link between manager and employee, you should approach the employee after the exit interview and clarify any open questions or try to allay his or her concerns.

8.Talk to the remaining employees

Word of layoffs gets around quickly – and that unsettles people.

To prevent this from having a negative impact on the mood and performance of other colleagues, you should talk to the team. Make it clear what impact the termination will have on the team, projects, goals and company.

In most cases, this calms the situation, gives employees a new boost of motivation and binds them more strongly to the company.