Terminating With Dignity

One of the less enjoyable aspects of my job is having to terminate an employee.  While the decision to terminate may be the best step for the organization, one of HRs goals should be to maintain the employee's dignity throughout the process.  When it is necessary to terminate an employee, here are a few guidelines that I recommend:

1. Consider the timing.  NEVER terminate on a Friday.
2. Always plan out the termination.  Who is terminating the employee and what should be said. 
3. During the termination process, provide the employee with positive feedback about some aspect of their work performance.  They need the kind words!  "Even in the termination based on performance, prompted by the fact that acquired skills were not adequate for a particular situation, the person's assets and liabilities can still be acknowledged," wrote Richard Bayer in Business Horizons.
4. Have an information package available for the employee.  It should contain items such as a termination letter outlining the reasons for the termination (remember to stick to the facts).  Discuss severance, compensation for unused vacation, unemployment compensation, benefits, any type of outplacement assistance, etc.
5. Don't allow yourself to be caught up in the emotions of the termination process.
6. Allow the individual to vent if necessary. After they have vented, allow them a decompression period.  They need to have some control over their departure!
7. Always, always, handle with compassion.

Please remember that each termination decision that is made carries a profound impact on at least one human being's life.  Handle with care.

Exit Interviews

Exit interviews get a bad rap.  Some people think they have value to the organization, others don't.   I read an article once by a headhunter who stated that "exit interviews fascinate me like cockroaches do."  His explanation was that no one knows why they exist, can justify or eliminate them and are likely to continue to survive.

Cockroaches aside, exit interviews are intended to help the company understand the full scope of reasons behind a voluntary separation.    With this information, an organization can determine and implement strategies to increase retention and reduce turnover.   If effectively structured, an exit interview will provide information that will:

1. gauge the effectiveness of current employment and business practices;
2. identify problems that contribute to turnover;  
3. manage employee expectations; and,
4. allow for the proper incorporation of new employees into the organization.

 In structuring an exit interview program the employer must decide:

1. Who:  Voluntary resignations?  Involuntary Resignations?  Or all departing employees?  (Not all turnover is undesirable.  As an employer you should be strongly interested as to why a valued employee quit.)
2. When:  Before or after the employees scheduled departure date?
3. How:  Face to face?  Questionnaire?  Third party platform?
4. Participation:  Mandatory or Voluntary?

One final recommendation, if you have an exit interview program develop a list of standard and open ended questions for all employees.  Ensure that no privacy rights (health related issues) are violated.  And most important, listen rather than talk.