Employee Termination

Our recommended employee termination procedure

You must handle an employee termination notice in a straightforward manner. The employee termination notice should succinctly identify the problems with the current employee, if the action has resulted from insubordination. An employer should always stay away from half measures. On the same token, an employee termination notice should be clear, agree with your policy, and leave nothing to the imagination.

When beginning to craft an employee termination notice, begin first by identify the governing policy or formal rules in place. A business should always keep in mind that certain employees may claim discrimination for errant firings. If your policy states that you will give an employee written warning before firing, then the warning should come first. If the policy has no such clause then you can go ahead and use the employee termination notice. Whether the business is large or small, make sure your terminated employee keeps their dignity. Why? If you strip a worker of that, it can cost your business more than a weekly paycheck. Your purpose is to keep profitability and productivity up. A professional manner does not cost anything and serves as another insurance policy against the employee seeking retribution.

How to Give an Employee Termination Notice

It is not an advertisement. It is a private event between an employer and an employee. This falls back on the dignity rule. Always keep the confidentiality of the notice intact. By spreading rumors that you are going to fire an employee, you may find yourself with more of a muddy mess than when you began.

The writing does not have to be flashy or any other measure taken. Be sure to keep a copy for the company records, and if you must mail a notice (if an employee works off-site), then use certified mail. Be sure they get notice. Follow up with them by phone after a few days if need be. You should never email or fax an employee termination notice to anyone. Those methods can compromise the privacy of the terminated employee. The best way is to give them the notice in person, or to have an internal employee hand them the sealed envelope with their notice inside and clearly not labeled. In this way, the employee will likely keep their cool and not cause a scene. If the termination becomes public notice before they can find out then problems can occur, both professional and legal.

An employee termination notice should identify the problem, list the previous attempts to resolve the problem (noting dates and warnings), and be signed by a company officer or business owner. If a business follows these rules, they will successfully carve the fat from the group and begin to move on from what can be a difficult situation.

What you must know before terminating any employee