- March 9, 2018
- Blog
Firing an employee is one of the most painful aspects of work-life. It is traumatic for the employee and very uncomfortable for the manager who is tasked with it. I hear several employees who have faced such a situation becoming brand destroyers and worst, unable to come to terms with the episode and move on. How can it be done differently? How can all come out as winners?
At the outset let me clear four aspects before we land ourselves in a situation to separate. (1) Never hire an employee when you cannot tie her daily performance to revenue or to an asset creation or protection of either. Loosely translated.. it means JD clarity. (2) If you are firing often, revisit your hiring process and do some soul searching yourself. (3) You have a reasonably good performance appraisal system and the employees are aware of it. (4) You have a real performance improvement plan and applied it earnestly. If you are ok in these four, firing should be far and few between. Yet if you are in such a situation, lets explore how one can ice the firing.
When you are about to let go an employee, you may have faced a predominant emotion of anger. The act of 'firing' is distinctly unpleasant and stressful. Hence, the actual meeting turns out to be an angry blame game.
You must tame your own frustrations and you can do so when thoughts are objective and empathetic to all players in the context: the employer, the co-workers and the concerned employee. Think of it this way: The employer cannot really carry on with a non-performing employee and survive in the market. Co-worker's cannot be expected to perform when a non-performer is earning nearly the same pay for low performance. It is disrespectful and unfair to the performing employee. I have seen team’s average performances decline due to continued employment of a low-performer. And lastly, in spite of the context, in no case should the employee facing the exit door should feel a loss of dignity and respect.
Respect and Dignity to the employee is really the ice that lowers the temperatures in the firing. How does one achieve it?
- Do it individually. Period.
- Recognize the contributions of the employee, whatever it be. Nothing makes one feel small when the you yell “you have done nothing”. It converts to anger when the statement is most likely untrue. (Caution: But do not lie. Especially about how great her contributions are. It has to be delicately framed in the context of better performances of others and how it just fell short.)
- Find at least one or two things about the employee to praise. For example, about how they brought cheer to the team, or how they secured one precious contract, or some such.
- State clearly, unemotionally, and factually the actions taken by the firm to improve her performance. Example, training, reallocated portfolio, reallocated resources and team and whatever else.
- Don’t bemoan to the exiting employee how hard you find this firing! It is nothing compared to what she is enduring.
- Keep things confidential and allow the employee to sink in the information before you put processes into action. Provide the employee an opportunity to respond to your position. Hear patiently and if there is merit in the claims, address them.
- Nothing takes away an employees’ dignity and respect than fall in esteem with one’s colleagues and immediate reportees. It is your job to ensure that the employee is presented in the ‘right way’ when the news is broken to the rest. We make most mistakes here: back biting and adding utter canard.
- Offer a send-off party. If the employee declines it, so be it. If it is acceptable organize one.
- Trust the employee. It is indeed very negative to immediately confiscate the laptop and access cards, deactivate the email ids etc. (Caution: but not be naïve enough to suffer damage.)
- Work with the employee to see where else can she prosper and flower better. It stems from the belief that a person can and will excel in some job and that is what job-search is all about. This step, if done sincerely, allows the employee also to feel that you mean well.
- More than words, help by way of action. I know of an organization where the HR department is tasked (read a performance metric and a KRA) with successfully placing a separated employee. Nothing motivates existing employees more if they know that they will be taken care off.
- If the context of the employee demands continued pay and it is within your powers, offer extended pay-support over and above the notice period. (But discourage coming to office).
- Walk with the employee to the gate (and not use the security to escort the employee out).
You can do a few more even after the exit to win over an exiting-employee. For example, keeping in touch after the exit and finding ways to help her if the situation is grim.
In short, be genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of the employee during the entire episode.
