Letting an employee go can be hard. What you say and do can have a huge impact on company morale as well as your exposure to lawsuits. Here are a few tips we have regarding termination:
- Consult a Human Resource expert prior to termination:
- Typically your insurance or payroll contact will offer free HR consulting services as part of their services. This expert can advise what should and should not be said during the termination.
- Plan Ahead:
- Document job expectations and failures to meet expectations (performance or personality based). Communicate failures to meet expectations PRIOR to termination
- Give the employee opportunities to improve or reinforce your decision to let them go if there is no improvement.
- Conduct the Termination Meeting as follows:
- Communicate the purpose of the meeting.
- You don’t need to go into details.
- You also don’t need to provide documentation supporting your decision.
- Complete a formal Employee Exit Interview questionnaire.
- It is important to ask the employee if they have any injuries at the time of termination to defend against fraudulent post-termination Workers Compensation claims.
For a free sample Exit Interview Checklist please contact us.
- Communicate that the decision is final and cannot be reversed.
- Vocalize that all relevant factors were reviewed while stressing that the decision was agreed upon by all management involved.
- Tell the employee the effective date of termination.
- Review their summary of benefits:
- Severance Pay
- Compensation for Vacation & Sick Time
- Continuation of Health & Life Benefits
- Have final paychecks ready:
- Overpay on unearned vacation and sick time.
- Underestimating could lead to an expensive wage & hour lawsuit.
- We recommend giving an extra day of sick pay to protect yourself.
- End the interview by stating that the employee will be notified of any other matters that must be dealt with such as:
- COBRA continued health coverage, severance pay, etc.
- Wish the employee good luck and express confidence in their future.
At Weaver & Associates, our main goal is educating and protecting our clients from the risks associated with running their business.
Contact us today to talk more about your HR concerns.
