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How To Fire An Employee: The Do's and Don'ts of Terminating Employees to Keep You Out of Hot Water

How To Fire An Employee: The Do's and Don'ts of Terminating Employees to Keep You Out of Hot Water

Having to fire an employee is one of the most difficult and traumatic decisions that a business owner can make. Letting an employee go is hard not only on the employee, but also on the employer, and the other employees in your company. It is a decision that should never be undertaken lightly.

Common reasons for firing an employee include:

* Performance-related issues
* Poor personality fit or attitude fit with company
* Attendance issues
* Violating company policies
* Lack of work
* Company reorganization

We've put together some quick tips on the do's and don'ts of terminating an employee:

What to Do:

1. Make the firing decision carefully, but once made, act quickly - Firing an employee is one of the most difficult decisions an employer can make, regardless of the reason for the termination. Make sure the decision is well-reasoned and thought out, and then if the decision is made to terminate, act quickly so that it does not continue to negatively affect you or other employees.

2. If firing due to performance-related reasons, ensure that multiple meetings have been held with the employee prior to making the firing decision to address and correct the performance issue.

3. Be respectful and discreet when having the termination meeting. The meeting should preserve the dignity of the employee.

4. Ensure that your severance or notice arrangements meet legal requirements. Consult an employment lawyer if necessary.

5. Ensure that you have a written termination letter and release which documents the terms and conditions of the termination.

What Not to Do:

1. Don't get personal. The reason for firing the employee should be business-related or due to performance issues, not due to personal, subjective or emotional opinions about the employee.

2. Don't make a decision to terminate for cause without conducting a proper investigation. The decision should be based on an objective series of facts, not one or two individual opinions or stories.

3. Don't hold the termination meeting in a public place. The meeting should be held in a private location, free from disruptions.

4. Don't go into a termination meeting unprepared. Prepare the written letter, rehearse what you will say, how you will say it, and in what sequence.

5. Don't get defensive or debate the merits of the firing decision with the employee. Allow the employee to react and raise questions, be understanding and sympathetic, but reinforce that the firing decision is definite and final.

Firing an employee is never easy. Make the decision thoughtfully and with care, and then act.

When in doubt, seek the advice of an employment lawyer or human resources expert prior to making to the decision to let the employee go.





How To Fire An Employee The Dos and Donts of Terminating Employees to Keep You Out of Hot Water - To learn more about this author, visit Cissy Pau's Website.

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Dianne Crampton
Dianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website

Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

Cheryl Matthynssens

Cheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur.  Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well.  A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles.  She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide-  to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being.  Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com

- Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website


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Cissy Pau
(Visit Cissy's Website) Cissy Pau, Principal Consultant of Clear HR Consulting Inc. (http://www.clearhrconsulting.com), has a winning track record of more than 13 years in Human Resources management. Cissy has earned a reputation as a leading HR expert in the Vancouver and Lower Mainland business communities. This HR expert specializes in and is passionate about developing and implementing practical HR policies, procedures and systems for companies experiencing growth and change. As an advisor and partner to business owners on strategic and tactical HR matters, Cissy relentlessly delivers HR solutions that are realistic, practical and easy to implement, while fully supporting the business' financial and operational goals. Learn more about HR services at http://www.clearhrconsulting.com/se rvices/index.html, or visit her human resources blog at http://www.clearhrconsulting.com/bl og/.

Cissy Pau is a Gold author on EvanCarmichael.com
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