Handling A Termination Meeting

Firing an employee is one of the hardest things a manager has to do and, with jobs hard to come by, it has become even more difficult. With the job market still sluggish, a firing can cause employees to react in ways they will later regret.

Keeping in mind that no one will never react to the news of his termination with a smile, it's important to handle the final employee meeting with care.

According to Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem in “The Big Book of HR,” two other people should always be present at the termination meeting to avoid disagreements about what was communicated: The employee's direct supervisor and a human resources representative. In addition, they wrote that the manager should plan out in advance what he wants to say, so that the message is clear.

Other essential topics are:

• That a decision has been made to terminate employment;
• The reason(s) and key facts supporting the decision;
• The effective date of separation;
• Separation package and benefits;
• A review of the policy and procedures for giving references;
• A review of applicable post-termination restrictions, such as non-compete or non-disclosure agreements;
• What will happen immediately following the meeting (i.e. cleaning out the employee’s office);
• Other activities such as an exit interview survey or outplacement meetings; and,
• Whom to contact about post-termination issues.