Business General
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Managing your employees
General
Hiring employees
Training
Sooner or later most employers have to confront the task of firing an employee for poor performance or inappropriate behaviour.
Here is a five-point plan to make such a dismissal as painless and as dignified as possible.
1.Taking the decision
Before taking the decision to dismiss an employee you must follow certain procedures. In most cases, you need to give verbal and written warnings that their performance or behaviour is not acceptable, and give them time to change. Only if they then fail to come up to scratch should you then consider dismissal.
2. Prepare
Once you have decided that there is no alternative you should prepare all the paperwork- the letter of dismissal, any agreements you wish the employee to sign, and separate cheques for final salary, holiday pay, and pay in lieu of notice (see point 5). It also helps to have a box for their personal effects ready.
Arrange for computer passwords, security codes, etc., to be changed or cancelled and take any other security measures you think necessary.
3. Timing
It is important to consider the dignity of the employee to be dismissed. Arrange to meet him or her at lunchtime, or at the end of the day. This gives them an opportunity to clear their desk and/or locker and leave without having to face their colleagues and reduces the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
4. Where to do it
Never use your own office. If you dismiss someone in your own office, you must then wait until they are ready to leave. Instead, use the employee's office, or a meeting room. Once you have completed the formalities you can then leave the room, allowing the employee time to collect their thoughts and get ready to clear their desk.
5. What to do and say
Explain to the employee why he or she is being dismissed. Remind them that this meeting has been preceded by several warnings, and that regrettably their behaviour or performance has not improved to a degree you find acceptable. Tell them that you are sorry that it has come to this but that you have made the decision, and the matter is not negotiable.
An employee will usually be entitled to a minimum period of notice, and you need to have decided whether you wish this employee to continue working for you or to leave immediately. Sometimes this will be spelt out in the employee's contract. You usually have a choice of either having the employee work out his or her notice period, or paying them in lieu of notice. You may prefer to give them the choice - this is why it is advisable to have separate cheques made out for the different elements of the possible final payment. Explain the arrangements or options and hand the employee the letter of dismissal and agreements to sign. Once you have agreed the terms on which the employee will depart, and obtained his or her signature to the agreement, you can hand over the cheques.
Agree how news of their departure is to be passed to other staff members. A dismissed employee might prefer to simply clear his or her desk and leave, or might ask you to tell their colleagues that they have resigned.
Recover any keys, passes, ID cards and any other company property the employee may have been given.
Tell them that, as it is now lunchtime or after office hours, they can clear their desk or locker as soon as they wish. Then leave the room. If you want someone to keep an eye on the dismissed employee, or escort them from the premises, they should be ready to take their place when you leave.
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