Because You Only Get One Chance to Fire An Employee, You Better Do It Right.
“I’ve had it. I’m going to fire her.” said Ernie as I answered the phone. He was fed up with Barbara, his COO, who had been with him from the early days of his business’ inception.
I knew Barbara and
Ernie well. I’d worked with them separately and together as they worked to
build Ernie’s business. Ernie, your quintessential leader, was free-spirited
and visionary. He had a passion and exuberance that inspired his employees, and
transitioned prospects into customers. Barbara brought balance to the
equation. Practical and level-headed Barbara had been instrumental in creating
templates and processes. She understood Ernie’s vision, but stayed focused in
the reality of what needed to happen to bring those ideas into fruition.
Ernie had valued Barbara’s grounded nature
and global perspective in the early days. Her dedication to process and
function, freed him to pursue the company’s vision. But now, as the business
had stabilized and grown, he felt inhibited by her involvement. Ernie recounted
to me several instances in which Barbara’s actions had restricted growth or
interfered with his authority. “I need to take back control of my company.”
Ernie said, “And she has to go.”
Ernie said he called me for guidance on
how to go about this. He wasn’t concerned about litigation, he told
me. He planned to compensate Barbara well for what she’d helped him to
accomplish. But, he didn’t want to create a permanent chasm to their
relationship. He’d been through that before with another termination and it
still haunted him.
I asked Ernie to
share what he had planned to say. He broke into a mini-speech, role playing his
intended conversation with Barbara. He included details of why Barbara was no
longer a good fit, how she would be compensated, and reminders of how they had
not seen eye to eye on several issues. After he was done, Ernie shared with me
that he wants it to go smoothly as he may need her on a consultancy level in the
future.
“I’m glad you
called.” I tell Ernie, “I don’t think that conversation would have gone
smoothly.”
A critical point in terminating an employee is to remember that this final interaction will be a memorable and lasting one. It will overshadow most other interactions, and will largely determine the employee's attitude about you, and your organization, going forward. "Off-boarding" therefore, must be respectful, thoughtful, and honest.
Here are some key points:
1.
Be Gentle
– But Get To The Point Terminations
are typically uncomfortable for everyone involved, don’t make it worse by
engaging in small talk. This wrongly
suggests that everything is fine just before the axe is dropped. Instead, give a brief warning statement that
you “have difficult news to share”. Then
succinctly state that they are being let go.
2.
Allow
Them To Ask “Why?” Give space for
the employee to ask this and other questions (now, and in the stages that
follow). Allow them the opportunity to
feel heard. The process of terminating
an employee is just that, a process. One
worthy of a two-sided conversation.
3.
Explain
Without Blame Share with the
terminating employee the reasons things no longer work. Keep your focus on the actions/behaviors you
had hoped to see, but which were not (sufficiently) occurring. Describing the absence of desired behaviors
allows you to explain without blame.
This helps mitigate defensiveness and denial, while also acting as a
teaching moment for the departing employee.
4.
Remind
Them Of Their Value Yes! After describing where they fell short, tell
them where they had excelled or where you believe they will excel in their next
job. For some employees this may be a harder
stretch, but it helps support their ego, and facilitates their ability to focus
their energy toward their next job.
5.
Note Your
Appreciation Most employees have
contributed to your organization – acknowledge this and thank them for it.
6.
Go Over
Logistics The above five steps are
all intended to be somewhat open and conversational. Now you can (safely) transition into the
logistics of the separation of employment.
It is in this stage that you may begin to engage them in comments
relative to the “exit interview”.
7.
Say Your
Goodbyes End the conversation by
thanking them. It may be for their years
of service, for their open sharing during this process of separation, or for
other reasons. If you have a personal
friendship with the person you are terminating, this is where you might
reconnect with them on that level, speaking to how your (personal) connection
will continue.
Other little, but very important considerations are to use a kind voice and to keep your demeanor professional but friendly. You only get once chance to fire an employee, do it right.
