Best Practices_ Managing People_ Secrets to Leading for New Managers - Barry Silverstein [12]
Delivery is important. Both oral and written reprimands should be delivered privately. You should also always give the employee an opportunity to respond verbally or in writing.
Whether oral or written, any reprimand must include specific references to the unacceptable behavior. You must provide thorough documentation of the nature of the behavior, when it occurred, and how it veered from acceptable standards.
Reprimanding an employee doesn’t require you to be angry or upset. Stay calm even if the employee becomes emotional. Be firm yet fair in explaining the nature of the reprimand, and make it clear that additional disciplinary action could be taken if the problem is not corrected.
Delivering a reprimand is not pleasant. Don’t let that deter you, however. If you have a problem on your hands that needs to be dealt with, face up to the need for the reprimand and take decisive action promptly.
Termination
Even for experienced managers, it’s hard to terminate an employee. But sometimes termination is unavoidable. When a termination is due to layoffs, it can be particularly difficult, since it may come as a surprise to the employee.
When termination is the result of poor performance, it is not necessarily easier, but at least the employee should not be shocked if you have provided regular feedback in the form of constructive criticism and performance reviews. To prepare for a termination, thorough written documentation of past unresolved problems is essential. If you have any doubt, you need only review your paperwork to be certain that you are justified in taking action. Be sure you know your company’s policy on termination and the provisions of federal and state laws.
“It’s awful to fire people. But if you have a candid organization with clear performance expectations and a performance evaluation process…then people in the bottom 10 percent generally know who they are. When you tell them, they usually leave before you ask them to.”
—Jack Welch,
former CEO of General Electric
Whatever the reason for the termination, deliver the news calmly and objectively. Although the meeting should be private, it may be appropriate to have an HR representative present.
Dos & Don’ts
TERMINATION
Firing someone is never easy. But knowing the protocols can help the process go more smoothly.
Do create a paper trail. Keep written, dated accounts of any incidents or problems that occur.
Don’t terminate an employee without complete documentation.
Do plan what you are going to say at the termination meeting. Practice if necessary.
Don’t berate the employee during the termination meeting.
Do gather information about unemployment, health insurance, severance, and other benefits.
Do bring a termination letter to the meeting that details severance details.
Do prepare a checklist of what the employee must turn in before leaving.
Do treat the employee respectfully and stay calm and unemotional.
Do block access to e-mail and telephone as soon as the employee leaves.
Do not let a terminated employee leave with confidential information.
Do notify remaining employees about the termination as soon as you can.
Do not retract a termination once you have made the decision.
An employee’s reaction can run the gamut from disbelief to anger to tears. Show compassion but be firm. Make it clear that the decision is final. Your objective is to terminate the employee without impugning his or her dignity.
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, widely considered one of the century’s most influential business leaders, says that what you do after you fire someone matters as much as how you do it. Specifically, don’t let your employee feel that he’s a pariah. Even if you are angry, you have to bolster his self-esteem and assure him that he will find another job that’s a better match. It’s possible that the lead for that job could come from you. A soft landing for him is your objective. “Every person who leaves goes on to represent your company,” Welch notes. “They can bad-mouth or they can praise.