It is never
a pleasant business to terminate employees.
Nonetheless, the prospect
presents itself and you must take action.
If the termination is for “cause,” you
must take great care must to keep from
making a bad situation worse. There are
books and articles available to guide
a manager through this sticky problem.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to layoff
employees for economic reasons. While
this presents a different set of problems,
you still must handle it delicately.
The bruised feelings of the former employee
may express themselves in ways that damage
the business.
Problems Can Arise When You Terminate
Employees
The decision to terminate employees
raises several different issues. How
will the termination affect customers
or clients? You must contact them to
let them know they can expect the same
quality of service they have always enjoyed.
It is unsettling for a customer to find
the friendly employee he or she always
worked with is no longer there.
When it becomes
necessary to fire someone, another
question you must ask is, “How
will this affect the remaining workforce?” When
a coworker gets fired, rumors spread
like wildfire. Most employees think, “It
could happen to me.” You may need
to reassure them and calm their fears.
It is a mistake to assume that by terminating
one employee, the others will increase
their productivity. Worried about their
job security, these employees may unconsciously
decrease their productivity.
There are external forces at work here
as well. There are federal, state, and
local laws that regulate employee termination.
When you decide to terminate employees,
you should brush up on these laws. If
you do not, you may be inviting a complicated
lawsuit.
If you fire employees because of downsizing,
keep the all workers informed. Once you
fire one set of employees, the business
needs might require more layoffs. If
this is the case, let the employees know
they will get plenty of notice before
the next wave.
Also be aware that terminated employees
may act irrationally. You may need to
change locks and security codes. In short,
a great deal of thought and preparation
is necessary before you terminate employees.
When
should you fire employee?
|
