How to Interact with Employees When Letting Someone Go

There may come a point during your professional career at which you find yourself having to let one of your employees go. It is an unpleasant undertaking, but might be in the best interest of your overall organization. If an employee is underperforming to an extensive degree, does not cooperate well with other workers, or encourages an unpleasant working environment, you will probably consider doing so. If firing someone is not one of your regular work related responsibilities, you may have several questions regarding how to handle such a task. What you need to consider is how you prepare to let someone go, how to conduct the meeting during which to do so, and what necessary steps you will likely want to take afterwards.

Before

The employee in question should not be completely blindsided when he or she is finally fired from the company. Generally, you want to avoid a sudden shock for the said employee you intend to fire.

Unless a sudden incident requires that an employee be fired promptly, you should start discussing the reasons you are considering letting an employee go well before you actually do so. In practice, this entails providing consistent feedback. If certain actions concern you, the employee should be informed of this within a short period of time. This can provide the employee with time to evaluate his or her own performance. During this time, he/she may come to realize their current position is not the most suitable one for them. This can make the moment when they are fired feel less of an affront. It also means that you gave the employee time to improve their performance, preventing your decision to let them go from appearing rash or unreasonable.

During

When you enter into a meeting with the employee you are about to fire, it is advisable to be well aware and dispose over the relevant information. An employee may have many practical questions. These may revolve around subjects such as their last paycheck, whether they will receive severance payments, or when exactly they are expected to leave their position. Make sure you have the answers. Look into whether an employee of your organization’s HR department (if it has one) needs to be present.

During the meeting, you need to be conscious of the way you engage with the employee. Your arguments for firing this employee should be very clear, to both of you. What is also important is that you present the arguments clearly and concisely, ideally in a factual manner that does not leave the employee feeling personally offended. You can refer to past feedback at this moment. It is also best to avoid an argument or an unpleasant discussion, so do not become too defensive of your arguments. Simply explain your reasoning calmly.

After

Following the meeting, other employees—or at least those who worked closely with the employee in question—need to be informed of the decision you have made. This can be done with a short email, not including too many details, as a courtesy to the employee who has been fired.

Another aspect to consider is whether you want to provide the employee with a job reference. If the employee did display positive characteristics, but simply was not suited to their position or the company, you can still choose to write them a positive recommendation. If that was not the case, providing a neutral reference or only general information might be the best option.


Overall, letting an employee go should always be done with honesty and consideration.

Barbara Haenen