How To Let An Employee Go For Poor Performance – Firing someone is much easier said than done. Although every manager has to face it at some point, letting someone go is a tedious task that both employer and employee dread. It’s also a decision that many managers lose a lot of sleep over. But as difficult as this task is, it is important to follow the proper process for terminating an employee.
You must have everything in order before you fire an employee. If it is done hastily, without taking the necessary steps, it can create a very uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.
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How To Let An Employee Go For Poor Performance
Human resources professionals and experts from different industries can offer different ways to terminate an employee normally, but there are some tips to help you cope with the inevitable,
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When you plan to fire an employee, the first and most important thing is to get everything in order before firing.
Preparation is key if you want everything to go smoothly. So before you fire an employee, here are some things you can do to avoid misunderstandings or even accusations of illegality.
The employee must sign this document and you can provide a copy. Keep the other one in your personal folder.
Terminating an employee is not just sending an email. First, you need to choose the correct date, time and place where the termination will take place.
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It is always best to do this at the beginning of the week and preferably at the end of the day to minimize the impact on your business.
Also, make sure you are aware of the employee’s transportation situation. For example, if they rely on a company ride to get home from work, don’t cut them off in the morning.
Here are some other tips for choosing the right time and place: Don’t fire an employee in front of an audience.
Every person has the right to privacy. Allowing an employee to go private allows them to process everything before colleagues notice, so avoid public places.
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The conference room is a good place to hold a meeting. It is a private and neutral place with no distractions. Do not fire an employee on a Friday (or before a holiday).
Getting fired can be very traumatic for most people. Some may need emotional help, counseling services, or counseling—none of which may be available on weekends or holidays.
Also, by letting them go at the beginning of the week, you let them start looking for a new job. Do not fire an employee on parental or sick leave.
There are provisions that protect laid-off workers. For this reason, you should avoid firing an employee who is absent or has just returned from vacation. In this case, you must wait for a suitable time to continue the termination. 3. Don’t: Fire an employee without a witness
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It is always best to have another employee present at the meeting when someone is fired.
Often this is a person from the HR department who already has experience in terminating employment contracts. Before the meeting, tell the person or give them written reports to make sure they understand the situation.
In addition to having another person listen to everything that is said when terminating an employment contract, this also has the advantage of helping an inexperienced manager, as an HR professional can help keep the conversation on track and bring it to a conclusion.
In addition, the HR professional ensures that the employee is treated fairly and professionally. Helps limit your organization’s liability in the event of employee termination.
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If you don’t have an HR department, any other employee can act as a witness. They can also help if you find yourself in a situation where a dismissed employee refuses to sign and acknowledge documents.
In this case, the witness can sign the documents. In addition to having a witness with you at the meeting, it’s also a good idea to have security nearby. Redundancies can be traumatic and emotions are often very strong.
Pro tip: Take notes during the meeting or record it in some way. Just remember to notify the employee in advance. 4. Action: Be short and to the point
Terminating an employee should never become a long, drawn-out conversation, especially if you’ve documented the employee’s performance, coached them, and provided frequent feedback over time.
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Prepare a straight and direct answer. Be honest, summarize the situation correctly, but leave out the details.
Make sure you don’t blame the employee. Your goal is to fire the employee while allowing him to retain his dignity.
Be supportive and understanding when answering their questions. However, make sure your decision to fire them is final.
One of the most important things when terminating an employee is to avoid humiliating them. As stated earlier, you want the employee to maintain their dignity during the termination process, so you should handle the termination itself carefully.
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In addition, the way you treat an employee can be the main determining factor in whether they feel wronged and decide to take legal action (whether warranted or not).
So always show respect to the employee. Part of showing respect is offering them the courtesy of meeting face-to-face at a convenient time and place.
Never terminate an employee electronically, such as via Zoom call, email, instant message, text message, or phone call.
Remember that your other employees have long memories. To maintain morale and confidence, make sure you handle layoffs well.
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In addition, this era is dominated by social media, so dismissals hardly remain a private matter. For this reason, you don’t want to create scenarios that weaken the appearance of your company to your potential customers.
Termination should never come as a surprise to an employee. Do not act without warning. Make sure they know about the layoff in advance so they don’t get blindsided, which often leads to anger.
So this means that you should never fire an employee outright. Instead, unless the employee has committed an immediate and egregious act, provide the employee with training and feedback on performance over a period of time.
Document each step (or lack thereof) of the improvement process. If you have organized sufficient training and there has still been no improvement, you as an employer can make the decision to dismiss the person.
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In addition, firing someone on the spot can cause unintended consequences, such as the unintended firing of the person leading the project.
Avoiding the element of surprise also helps employers protect their own interests if an employee’s dismissal leads to legal action. 7. Don’t: Give the employee false hope
Despite their poor performance, they never believe they deserve to be fired. Because of this, they can maintain the perception that there is a way to influence their decision.
Make sure you are direct in your conversation – no matter how difficult it is. Immediately at the beginning of the meeting, announce that the purpose is to terminate the employment relationship, so that the employee does not get the wrong idea.
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Hopeful or weak language only causes grief if the employee believes they have a chance to change your mind.
If you prepare well for the meeting and practice what you say to the employee, you will be reasonably articulate. In addition, you have a colleague at your disposal to support you if you cannot say. 8. What to do: Ask someone to follow the employee to the exit
While it’s essential to protect your company from problems caused by disgruntled employees, you also don’t want to treat them like criminals after they’ve been fired.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the decision to fire an employee can be fraught with danger. You need to be able to anticipate and navigate the various issues that may arise.
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For example, if employees get upset, don’t let them go back to their desks. Furthermore, after the meeting ends, they should not have access to your company’s data, IT systems or their colleagues.
You can avoid problems by terminating the employee’s access to these electronic systems, cloud-based computer systems, etc. during or shortly before the termination meeting. If necessary, change security passwords and computer logins to protect your data.
However, the important thing is that whatever method you choose, you should treat your former employee with respect. Do your best not to turn the situation into an awkward scene. 9. What to do: Consider submitting a reference letter
An important part of the dignified dismissal of an employee is the delivery of an instruction letter. This will help them a lot when looking for a new job.
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Helping them find a new job quickly not only benefits the employee but also you as a former employer. This significantly reduces the risk of legal action being taken against you.
Therefore, unless you terminated the employee for “cause,” always consider providing a reference letter to the departing employee. 10. Don’t: Stop the termination meeting
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