{"id":2761,"date":"2020-10-12T07:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2020-10-19T17:10:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T22:10:10","slug":"15-things-you-should-never-do-when-letting-employee-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/15-things-you-should-never-do-when-letting-employee-go\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Things You Should Never Do When Letting an Employee Go"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re fired! Sacked! Terminated! \u2026Let go? No matter which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/things-managers-should-never-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">words you use<\/a>, the fatal phrase is not going to sound very gentle to the employee who hears it. As the boss, you\u2019ll likely feel sadness, guilt, and frustration along the way. And everyone else in your workplace will be affected, too.<\/p>\n<p>Letting an employee go is a matter of emotions as much as it is about business. But thankfully, good business practice sets a framework for minimizing the emotional toll.<\/p>\n<p>Approach the process with empathy and professionalism, and you will cover all bases the best you can. Storm into the process unprepared, however, and the repercussions can be costly.<\/p>\n<p>If you fail to prepare or to engage your team with sensitivity, the risks include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Being sued for <a href=\"https:\/\/yourbusiness.azcentral.com\/disparate-treatment-wrongful-termination-28293.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrongful dismissal<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Compromising workplace morale.<\/li>\n<li>Causing preventable levels of distress and\/or humiliation.<\/li>\n<li>Compromising the security or welfare of your business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Every manager will have to fire an employee at some point. But not every manager learns how to do so in a way that protects the employee, the business, and the team. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityam.com\/apprentice-is-bad-for-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">what television teaches us<\/a>, businesses thrive on compassion and positivity rather than fear and high drama.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Fire Someone with Compassion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Headway Capital surveyed a range of professional resources to come up with a checklist of what <em>not<\/em> to do when dismissing a member of staff. We found 15 temptations that managers face when the deed must be done &#8211; and our new infographic includes 15 better approaches to letting someone go.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you may have cooked up a long and convoluted explanation for the sacking. An explanation you hope will help your employee receive the news rationally. Drop it. Lead with the bad news \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ve called you in today because we need to let you go\u201d \u2013 and follow with brief, clear reasons. Don\u2019t make up excuses to cushion the truth, but do be diplomatic to protect their feelings.<\/p>\n<p>Protecting feelings doesn\u2019t mean being sympathetic. \u201cBosses must recognize the difference between empathy and compassion (which are useful in this context) and sympathy or sorrow (which can be counterproductive),\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2020\/03\/firing-with-compassion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">advises Joel Peterson<\/a>, chair of JetBlue and Professor of Management at Stanford\u2019s Graduate School of Business. Sympathy is a no-no because it focuses on the emotions of the person delivering the news. As an empathetic boss, you\u2019ll listen to the employee to figure out how they\u2019re feeling &#8211; and to adjust your strategy as appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, it\u2019s helpful to remember that getting canned isn\u2019t always a terrible thing. In the first place, if the job doesn\u2019t fit, it doesn\u2019t fit. But more optimistically, researchers have found that (for some positions) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jessica-stillman\/just-got-fired-this-10-year-study-proves-it-probably-wont-hurt-your-career-in-long-run.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">nine out of ten sacked employees<\/a> find a new job that\u2019s equal to or better than the job from which they were sacked.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s not wise to mention this while firing an employee. Instead, maintain an open workplace culture in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jessica-stillman\/homeaway-founder-why-i-hire-failures.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">failure carries no negative baggage<\/a> to ensure everyone emerges from those difficult days with an optimistic outlook. Because everybody makes mistakes \u2013 even the person responsible for doing the firing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2776\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go.png\" alt=\"15 things you should never do when letting an employee go\" width=\"1200\" height=\"14863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go-768x9512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go-124x1536.png 124w, https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go-150x1858.png 150w, https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go-640x7927.png 640w, https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/08\/15-Things-You-Should-Never-Do-When-Letting-An-Employee-Go-750x9289.png 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>SOURCES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Knight, R. (2019). <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2019\/01\/how-to-decide-whether-to-fire-someone\">How to Decide Whether to Fire Someone<\/a>. <strong>hbr.org<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Knight, R. (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/02\/the-right-way-to-fire-someone\">The Right Way to Fire Someone<\/a>. <strong>Hbr.org<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Richardson, L. (2018)<strong>. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/how-to-terminate-an-employee-without-being-the-terminator\">How to Fire Someone: A Step-by-Step Guide to Letting an Employee Go<\/a>. <strong>hubspot.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Vasel, K. (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2018\/03\/15\/pf\/jobs\/how-to-fire-employee\/index.html\">The right way to fire an employee<\/a>. <strong>Money.cnn.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Fairyington, S. (2019). <a href=\"https:\/\/thriveglobal.com\/stories\/body-language-tips-delivering-bad-news-negative-feedback-compassionate-directness\/\">If You\u2019re Giving Critical Feedback, These Body Language Tips Will Help It Go Smoother<\/a>. <strong>thriveglobal.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Morgan, B. (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/7969-employee-firing-tips.html\">Time to Let Go? 15 Expert Tips for Firing Employees<\/a>. <strong>businessnewsdaily.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Shumar, M. (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patriotsoftware.com\/blog\/payroll\/how-to-fire-an-employee-the-legal-way\/?utm_source=FRB45&amp;utm_campaign=GBL&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_content=firing_employee\">How to Fire an Employee the Legal Way<\/a>. <strong>patriotsoftware.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Deines, T. (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themuse.com\/advice\/youre-fired-a-firsttime-managers-guide-to-letting-someone-go\">You&#8217;re Fired: A First-Time Manager&#8217;s Guide to Letting Someone Go<\/a>. <strong>themuse.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Sun, K. (2017). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/karlsun\/2017\/07\/24\/how-to-fire-an-employee-when-all-else-fails\/#65188ae92747\">How To Fire An Employee When All Else Fails<\/a>. <strong>forbes.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Heathfield, S M. (2019). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalancecareers.com\/top-10-don-ts-when-you-fire-an-employee-1918343\">10 Things You Should Never Do When Firing an Employee<\/a>. <strong>thebalancecareers.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The Young Entrepreneur Council. (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/2018\/11\/how-to-prepare-to-fire-someone.html\">12 Ways You Can Prepare for Letting an Employee Go \u2013 And What Comes Next<\/a>. <strong>smallbiztrends.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Kappel, M. (2017). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/mikekappel\/2017\/04\/05\/5-tips-on-how-to-fire-an-employee-gracefully\/#2b038b329dd5\">5 Tips On How To Fire An Employee Gracefully<\/a>. <strong>forbes.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>13<\/strong>. Fried, J. (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/magazine\/201804\/jason-fried\/leaving-job-employee-fired-goodbye-truth.html\">The Best Way to Tell Employees When You&#8217;ve Fired Someone<\/a>. <strong>com<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Heathfield, S M. (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalancecareers.com\/motivating-downsizing-survivors-1918593\">Motivating Employees Who Remain After Layoffs<\/a>. <strong>thebalancecareers.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re fired! Sacked! Terminated! \u2026Let go? No matter which words you use, the fatal phrase is not going to sound &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[96,110],"class_list":["post-2761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-infographics","tag-infographic","tag-management"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>15 Things You Should Never Do When Letting an Employee Go - Headway Capital Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not every manager learns how to let someone go in a way that protects the employee, the business, and the team.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.headwaycapital.com\/blog\/15-things-you-should-never-do-when-letting-employee-go\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Things You Should Never Do When Letting an Employee Go - 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