When You Have to Say Goodbye

Oct 16, 2017

By Michelle Branigan

While hiring staff can be an arduous undertaking for even the most experienced manager, ultimately you end up giving the successful candidate good news. However, the reality of managing staff is that at some stage you may need to let people go. The reasons why will vary. Restructuring. Financial difficulties. Issues with employee performance and/or fit for the job.

For some managers the decision to terminate is difficult and slow, not because of the rationale behind the termination but because of the aversion to having to give someone such bad news. This can be one of the most stressful and difficult things you ever have to do as a manager. I have had to do it myself, and know the worry it can create.

But failure to act also has consequences, particularly if the individual is negatively affecting morale or productivity in the workplace. Those who are affected will fail to understand why action is not being taken and may even start disengaging themselves.

Regardless of why the termination is necessary, it is critical that it be handled professionally, fairly, and with compassion. Here are some tips to support you should you find yourself in this situation.

Prepare

Once the decision has been made, do not procrastinate. Pick a date and time that make sense for both the business and the individual being let go. Some experts advocate that doing it early in the week provides the employee with an opportunity to absorb the news and start looking for a new job immediately, while others suggest Friday is better as it gives the person the whole weekend to process the news.

Ensure that you have at hand all necessary documentation, such as any paperwork required for unemployment purposes, details regarding unused vacation, final pay, and how their benefits package will be managed. If the termination is due to a performance issue, performance reviews and disciplinary discussions should be on the desk in front of you. Ensure you check their contract for any non-compete clauses or non-disclosure agreements.

Make sure you have worked with the IT department to close down access to the company server and social media accounts, and collect any company owned equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, passwords, badges, and access cards.

Legalities

Before you deliver the news make sure that you have run this by your legal or HR team to ensure compliance with employment standards as well as your own written policies and procedures.

Delivering the news

Get right to it. Don’t engage in small talk about the weather or the game the night before. It does a disservice to the person in front of you. Inform the employee why they are there right away, and remember you are informing them of a decision that has already been made. This is not the time to get into a negotiation with the employee. Ideally have a script in front of you to help should you falter, and practice it before the meeting. State the reason for the termination concisely.

Listen to what they say

In some instances, when the termination is not due to any fault of the individual but rather a business decision, the employee may not be overly surprised. Indeed, in most situations if a manager is doing his /her job correctly, the employee will have some inkling that changes may be coming. At the end of the day however there will be an emotional reaction to the news and you should be prepared. Provide a few minutes for the employee to ask questions and to express themselves. Do not however get into further discussions as to the “why.” This should have been made very clear in your opening statement.

The exit

Give the employee an opportunity to say goodbye to their colleagues gracefully. Some will want to do this, while others will be unable to face it and choose to do it at a different time, personally. Avoid, if possible, the so-called “perp walk,” which can make employees feel like a criminal. Some companies will provide employees with an opportunity to come back and collect their personal items at the end of the day when everyone has gone home.
Sharing the news

Finally, once they have left you need to share the news with the rest of the team. If you are a small company it may be best to pull everyone together in a quick meeting, while in larger companies those who need to know will likely be a smaller functional team and therefore you don’t need to send an email blast announcing “X” has left the organization.

How you communicate is important: they don’t need to know all the details but may be watching and wondering how they would be treated in similar circumstances. Regardless of why the individual is leaving they were once part of the organization deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Michelle Branigan is CEO, Electricity Human Resources Canada.