- Make sure you are legally covered:
Ensuring that you have the legal right to terminate one’s employment is crucial when you decide to cut ties with an employee. Letting go of a worker in a way that could legally fall under wrongful termination could cost you thousands for your business if the former worker decides to bring legal action against you. It is crucial that a potential termination be reviewed by either an internal or external HR resource and/or legal team to ensure that your company has the legal right to end a worker’s employment with your company.
Did the employee sign an acknowledgment form of the company’s rules and guidelines? Were proper verbal/written warnings given to employee when required? Were the proper signatures written on the disciplinary write-ups? Were write-ups evaluated by an HR/legal department? These are just some of the many legal aspects to review as you plan to move forward with a termination of employment.
- Be considerate as humanly possible:
Losing your job can be humiliating enough. It does nobody any good to belittle an employee during the termination process. It is imperative that the discussion is performed behind closed doors and away from other workers. It is also important to be clear and firm to the person on why they are being let go. Don’t dance around the topic when you bring the worker in for the discussion. Let the person know what is happening and why.
While it is important to be direct with the worker, it is also imperative to be as kind towards the person as possible to show that nothing personal is aimed towards them. If you can, take the time to explain to the person how they can grow from this moment and how this can better prepare them for the next step in their career.
- Cooler heads prevail:
There is always that chance that emotions can flair up during a termination. No matter how an employee decides to handle it, it is crucial to you and your company that you keep a cool head during the entire process. By staying calm, you might also be able to diffuse those possible moments when a person begins to lose their temper over losing their job. At the end of the day, it is simply business and a person who is being let go can see that better if you are able to keep calm and professional through every step of the way.
- Look to assist a terminated Employee when possible:
If you know of a profession that would better suit the former employee and their skill set, look to supply resources when possible to help that worker get into that area of work. By helping that former employee get prepared for the next career choice, you can potentially have that person leave the company in a positive state of mind despite the tough situation.
Notice: From a legal standpoint, it is crucial that a former worker is notified of any unemployment services or programs he may be eligible once his employment is officially terminated.
- Notify the proper departments after a termination:
Once a termination of employment is finalized, it is vital that the departments and workers that are affected by it are notified in a timely manner. There may be certain job duties that will need to be shared among workers once an employee is let go. If the department is made aware sooner rather than later that a certain employee will no longer be with the company, the heads of that department have more time to create a system that can help make up for the loss of man power.
If it falls on a certain manager to find a replacement for the terminated employee, a timely notice can allow the manager to begin looking for someone new ASAP so that certain employees are not having more tasks added to their workload for longer than what is necessary.
LEGAL REMINDER: Always check with your HR department and/or legal department to ensure that all your business practices abide by the regulations provided by the EEOC as well as all other state and federal labor laws.
Here at Sentinel Background Checks, we pride ourselves in our ability to conduct comprehensive pre-employment background screenings. With all our experience and industry credentials, including a NAPBS accreditation, we guarantee a safe and exceptional background check for all your future hires. Check out our homepage at www.sbchecks.com for more screening resources.