Few supervisors and managers look forward to firing people. Nevertheless, you need to know how to terminate employees in a way that preserves their dignity while meeting your organization's needs. Even the most experienced managers experience stress and anxiety when they go through the termination process. Having a clear idea of the process won't make it any more pleasant, but could prevent you from making costly mistakes.
The key to a successful termination begins with hiring and continues throughout the employer/employee relationship. Having a good Employee Handbook and adequate training build a strong base for subsequent actions. Performance Reviews also play a critical role in a successful termination. However, the actual process of the termination is what stays in everyone's mind about the quality of the company, for a long time after the termination is over.
A termination impacts everyone - even the termination of someone that is not liked - will affect co-workers if it is not handled properly. In most states, employees have the right to claim unemployment benefits and drawing against your unemployment insurance often raises your tax rate. The burden of proof is almost always on the employer to prove the reason for the separation in unemployment claims cases. Make certain you are familiar with applicable federal and state laws. In some cases written notification may be required in advance of the separation.
The best you can hope for when terminating someone is to continue to have the terminated employee as a friend of the company in the future. The worst thing that can happen is a long drawn out legal process with lawyers and government agencies. And, don't forget that a former employee can be your best (or worst) salesperson.
