As hopeful and exciting as hiring a new employee can be, making the decision to fire him or her is the antithesis. In “Summon Up Honesty and Respect…Then Fire People,” columnist Paul B. Brown of the New York Times offers ideas on how to handle this most difficult of work situations, gleaning suggestions from several sources.
Tips from the New York Times on how to best manage letting someone go:
- Be Honest: Don’t sugarcoat the message -- it confuses the issue. “Be as specific as possible and give clear examples. Ideally, you’ll have had many discussions beforehand about performance,” writes Jerry Colonna at Inc.com.
- Consider Those who are Left: Be prepared to answer questions from remaining staff, although Colonna says you can skip the details and be discreet about causation. They’re likely to feel unsettled and concerned about how the vacancy from a fired employee will impact them.
- Be Compassionate: Regardless of your reasons for letting someone go and how you feel about an employee, don’t forget to treat them with respect and simple human courtesy, Brown writes. “There’s no reason not to allow yourself to feel and express genuine compassion for what’s inescapably a horrible outcome for the person,” writes Alison Green at USNews.com.
- Talk to Clients: The employee you fired may have been a crucial connection between your store and valued customers. If that’s the case, Mike Michalowicz, of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, notes that you need to tell those customers, “about the change and exactly how your company is managing the account going forward.”
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