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.
Handling
difficult employees? Here's what you must do before they
destroy your business.
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