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How to properly fire an employee

On Behalf of | Oct 15, 2021 | Employment Law |

As a manager or owner of a company, there is a good chance that you will need to fire an employee at some point. Although it is never a fun thing to do, there is a way to do it that minimizes challenges.

If there is not a clear reason why the employee is facing termination, this individual may try and seek legal recourse. If you follow certain steps, you limit this liability risk.

Limit legal liability

According to Chron, you should always review the legal implications before taking any action against an employee. Ideally, your company should have a strategy in place to document poor performance, chronic lateness, misbehavior and other reasons that may warrant termination if continued. Along with documenting the issues, you or another manager should have discussed the problem with the employee, explained how you want him or her to improve and what future disciplinary steps will be if the employee does not resolve the issue.

You should also discuss the potential firing with other company representatives to ensure everyone is on the same page and that the termination will not make things worse for the company.

You should plan for the firing discussion by arranging for a witness, preparing all necessary documents and arranging for security backup, if needed. You should also have the meeting in private. Decide ahead of time if the employee must leave immediately or if he or she can collect personal belongings before leaving.

How to fire a remote employee

More people are working remotely, which adds some complexity. According to Business News Daily, you should make sure the remote conversation simulates an in-person one. This means dressing professionally, using appropriate facial expressions and hand gestures, using the right lighting and speaking clearly and slowly. You should plan for your IT department to terminate the employee’s online access to the company immediately after the termination.

Firing an employee is rarely easy. Whether it is in person or online, make sure to follow the proper strategies to help the conversation go as smoothly as possible.