Firing Employees: Effective Strategies

Key insights

• 💼
  Firing an employee should be done in person, as it not only has strategic benefits but also helps to minimize reputational damage to the team and organization.
• 😔
  Delivering bad news in person is important because humans are social creatures and there is a need to look someone in the face and observe their nonverbal feedback and reaction.
• 📋
  It is important to lay out all the details ahead of time when firing an employee, including their last day, company technology accounts, and health insurance scenario.
• 📝
  Providing a clear and detailed explanation of the decision to terminate an employee can help demonstrate that the decision is final and cannot be changed.
• 💼
  Offering help to an employee during a layoff or termination can include providing outplacement services, a severance package, and personal assistance such as being a reference or making introductions to help them find a new job.
• ⏰
  Scheduling enough time for a firing conversation is crucial to provide emotional support and avoid rushing into another uncomfortable situation.
• 💡
  Having a plan to address what happened, why it happened, and how to move forward is crucial when informing the team about an employee being fired.
• 😳
  Even if you handle the firing process professionally and with empathy, you can't control how the employee will react or what they will say about you afterwards.