Employee Dismissal: Unpleasant, But Sometimes Necessary
The most appropriate way is to hold the meeting with the employee in a private sound proof room, preferably without windows, so on lookers cannot get a glimps of what is going. A monday afternoon is a good day to hold the termination meeting. Explain to the employee why he/she is being dismissed with a tone of voice that is calm, unemotional. Answer any questions the employee may have and refer them to HR for further clarification on matters regarding COPA, ect. Allow the employee to say a quick goodbye to fellow workers so long as he/she is acting reasonable and not emotionally out of control.
Jorge,
You have described a good approach to the dismissal process. Additional points to consider are: having another person present, preferably a Human Resources Director; if necessary, arrange for the individual to be escorted from the building to avoid any potential negative actions in the presence of other employees; arrange for personal effects to be cleared out of the individual's work space; and indicate if the company will or will not support an unemployment claim. There should also be a follow-up with remaining employees to quell any anxiety and avoid gossip abut the dismissed person.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
The location should be carefully considered to maintain a good level of privacy, The time and day should also be carefully considered as to ensure the best possible aftermath outcome of the meeting. I feel that a Thursday early afternoon is the appropriate time to dismiss an employee, this will give the employee the ability to contact human resources if necessary and allows some cooling time before their job hunting begins the following week. The delivery of the message should be on a direct calm and dispassionate manner. The meeting needs to be kept to a minimum time not to exceed 10 minutes and depending on the employee reaction, allow few minutes to say quick goodbye.
Caron,
Thank you for your posting to this Forum. The only element, which you may have implied, is to add documentation of what expectations were set and where the employee didn't meet those expectations or fell short. Following up your coaching conversations in writing is a good step, but I would also request the employee acknowledge receipt and ask you for any needed clarifications before you file them; this provides both you and the employee with document trail of the conversations so there is no misunderstanding. The dismissal process you described is right on target.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
Sharyn,
Thank you for your return response and clarification. the approach you described illustrates more engagement through counseling and I presume an improvement plan. One of the key elements in either turning around behavior or dismissal is having the counseling session and having the person sign the counseling form you highlighted. This should establish accountability and consequences if the behavior doesn't change. It also makes the termination process, if necessary, less emotional. This certainly demonstrates a higher level of engagement than your previous post and your approach should be more effective.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
Dr Roehrich,
I apologize for that oversight. I failed to mention that at 30 days if they are struggling to meet requirements, I do actually counsel them and we determine what they may be doing wrong, or what they are doing right (but not enough of). I suggest different marketing ideas to them, and provide them with an array of marketing materials to distribute to potential clients. So this is sort of a "second chance" and "pep rally" all at the same time. I make them sign a "counseling" form that their performance has been reviewed and they have received counseling on improvement.
I realize this is off the topic, but I just wanted to clarify. :)
Thanks,
Sharyn Pulley, LMT
P.S. Yes, you did encourage me to reexamine a broader scope of termination scenarios. I will be better prepared for future dismissals now.. I thank you.
Isabel,
Agreed, however, there's an additional element that you may be aware of but overlooked in your response: a performance improvement plan. If the employee initially communicated that they understood the expectations of the position, but then failed to meet some of them, they may deserve a "second chance" to correct the issue. Only the hiring manager or reporting manager can determine if a second chance is appropriate. A written performance improvement plan with both parties signatures, clearly identifies the deficiency and establishes conditions for improvement; then if these aren't met, there is clear cause for termination. Sometimes you just have to restate the expectations and communicate the consequences of not meeting them. Then if termination is necessary, it takes away some of the emotion out of an unpleasant task.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
I agree with this statement. If the expectations/performance objectives are made known to the employee, it takes away the emotional element as they were in agreement and acknowledgement of their performance requirements at time hired.
Sharyn,
The fact that they know the expectations up-front is a step in the right direction and hopefully, you have them sign an employment agreement. From what you described, termination of a massage therapist is straightforward, but the question asked what is the most “appropriate and professional†way to fire someone? Consider how you would terminate one of your therapists if he/she performed the “required number of massages†but had a drug problem that was interfering with the quality of the massage or the client relations? b) Did something inappropriate in the massage room? c) Was verbally abusive to a co-worker? Each one of these situations could result in potential legal action if not handled properly. I hope you have given the Forum question broader consideration, because terminating a staff worker would require a completely different approach.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
At my school we just recently began to hire licensed massage therapists to work after hours in the clinic. It helps with placement, but it also gives our graduates a "baby step" before going into the real world.
One of my policies is that they must do a minimum number of massages per week to remain employed. They are getting paid a much higher commission here than they would be anywhere else, so I expect this of them.
I guess the easiest part about my having to dismiss anyone, for this job anyway, is that they know the requirement up front, and they know that failure to "produce" will result in their dismissal.
Cindy,
When you're faced with a situation like the one you described, as an alternative to an HR representative it would be best to have another administrator present. As stated earlier, it would also be preferable for that person to be of the opposite sex of the individual being terminated. But be careful here, you want to insure that the second person is not a personal friend of either you or the employee being terminated. The goal is to be as objective as possible and not inject anyone or anything that could be perceived as creating a bias or unfair situation. In the situation you described above, was there a reason why the HR representative didn't accompany you during the termination? Who escorted the individual off the premises?
Dr. Robert Roehrich
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for your comment. There are many factors that come into play when making the decision to terminate an instructor. The day of the termination is less important than the manner in which the termination takes place. You're correct in making sure grades are completed and turned in and any student information is secured. You also have to be sure the individual is properly escorted out of the building without making a scene or disrupting other classes, this may require a security escort. If possible, it's best to conduct the actual termination with a representative of HR as referenced in earlier postings and to do it in the most "humane" manner. In addition you'll want to make sure the instructor doesn't take any proprietary materials or student contact information. Any ideas on how you might insure a "clean" termination with these additional considerations?
Dr. Robert Roehrich
i agree with doing it in a private area as well as having a representative from HR the first employee I had to fire I could not get someonw from HR to come in and it was not a great experience becasue that employee turned everything around and went to HR about it. Even though the HR representative would not come to the meeting.
I may have to fire an instructor and to me firing them on a friday or the last day of the term to make sure the students grades are in and everything is done for the term so the studnet does not suffer on this and the transition is smooth would make sense to me.
What is the most appropriate and professional way to dismiss an employee?
Melanie,
Your response tells me that you have done this before. The process that you describe is the kind of process that keeps you out of trouble and allows an employee to leave with their dignity and respect intact. I have heard of employees who have thanked their manager after their dismissal because it was handled professionally.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
An employee should never be "surprised" when a dismissal occurs. As long as you are having the appropriate actions and discussions with clear cut expectations then when those expectations are not met the dismissal should go fairly easy as the employee should not be surprised or taken off guard. I think when it goes bad is when an employee is surprised and does not see this next logical step occurring. Always have someone from Human Resources in attendance. Make sure you are direct and to the point but not callous and go over the previously documented expectations and the fact that those were not met.
Erica,
Dismissal or termination should not come as a surprise to the employee. Even so, it is important to plan for that dismissal as you would any meeting with an employee. A dismissal is a progressive process starting with the identification of issues and assistance with fixing the deficiencies. When efforts fail, the next step is dismissal. I agree with you that this step needs to occur in private but will usually involve HR to make certain there is a witness to verify the process. Be factual in the discussion so the information is crystal clear.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
I like the idea of dismissing on a Monday i always thought a Friday was best but i definitely see why Monday is now. I think the dismissal should be done privately. I think you should state the reasons why the person is being fired but be straight to the point dont sugar coat things or apologize.
Welcome, Theodora, to the class. You make a very good point. The instructional materials for this course are generic so that they can apply to a variety of Employment settings. A classrom presents its own set of circumstances when it comes to an employee dismissal. A point you made very clearly is that the impact on the students needs to be taken into consideration as well. In fact, that needs to be a priority.
Pat
