TERMINATION
INTERVIEWS: INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION
For whatever reason, it has become necessary to let someone
go. These terminations can be the result
of a number of factors; poor performance, disciplinary infractions,
outsourcing, downsizing, or mergers are a few possible examples. These interviews should be kept separate from
exit interviews, but depending on the nature of the termination, these
interviews may be merged together. The
direct supervisor should be the one giving the news to the employee.
Preparation
I hope you did your homework before stepping into the
interview. Check your paperwork, check
it twice; you do not want to terminate for the wrong reasons. Depending on the nature of the termination,
you should have disciplinary documents on hand to be able to discuss any issues
that led to this decision. It is suggested
that you schedule your interview on either a Friday. A Friday termination will tend to approach
the employee at their lowest energy, so there will tend to be less likelihood of
a dramatic, negative encounter. The day
of the week is not a hard-and-fast rule.
If you have to terminate someone immediately, you do not need to wait
until Friday or any other day of the week.
Schedule the time when a witness, usually a member of Human Resources,
can be available. The witness is useful
in the event the terminated employee makes a legal claim against the employer
at a later date.
Prior to the interview, a manager may be tempted to begin
revoking access to computers, gates, and doors.
It is suggested that you reconsider this. While it may prevent the
soon-to-be-terminated from deleting data or stealing equipment, it may also
provoke an unintended reaction from the employee.
Stressful Environment
An Involuntary Termination Interview can be a highly
stressful event for all parties. In many
cases, the person being informed of their termination may get upset. In some cases, they may not have been aware
that the termination was even a possibility.
For the manager giving the news, this can also be a stressful event, you
are after all taking away someone’s livelihood.
You probably do not want to do the interview in an office. Offices set up a power-height dynamic that
can add to the stress. Consider placing
the interview in a private neutral room.
If color is an option, consider using a room that is painted Lavender,
as that color has been found to relax and calm the nerves. A general rule with these interviews is if
the volume and energy of the employee goes up in the interview, the interviewer
should try speaking more quietly and more slowly, as this may bring the upset
employees energy level back down. Always have easy access to a phone in the
event you need to call security. Be sure
to document everything.
Informing The
Employee
When giving the news, do not dance around the subject. Be forthright and tell the employee right at
the beginning that they are being terminated.
They may ask for reasons. Provide
the answers to their questions that you are able to give. They may become defensive. Provide short, matter-of-fact answers. Do not apologize, as it will add to the
employee’s feelings of unfairness in the termination. If this is an interview merged with an Exit Interview,
this would then be the time to roll into providing information about COBRA and
other benefits related issues. If the
witness is an HR representative, they will be able to help a manager with these
details. At the end of the interview, it
is suggested to have them escorted to their desk to retrieve their things and
then out the door. Depending on the
company’s policy, the manager may box the employee’s things for them, and the
employee can schedule to retrieve them from the front desk at a later date.
Just remember that it is another human being that is being
terminated. Be firm, be honest, be compassionate.
And remember all of
you Human Resources professionals: Be
Human... Be a Resource... Be a Resource
for Humans.
Disclaimer: The views
expressed in this post are by the author Trevor Stasik, and do not necessarily
reflect the views of any employer or any other organization. Please note, this
information is based on my understanding and is only to be used for
informational and educational purposes.
Do not take what I am writing as advice.
Seek your own legal counsel and/or see a tax accountant before making
business or personal decisions. The
author of this post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness
of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information
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