One of the hardest things the leader has to do

One of the hardest things the leader has to do

EMPLOYEE TERMINATION:

Many years ago, when I was the CEO of a food processing and distribution company, a line worker was caught stealing a jar of jam. I fired her. She pleaded with me that it was only one small jar, sobbing as she told me about her children, and her very poor circumstances. I was emotionally moved, and still feel a great deal of sorrow over it. But it was a clear-cut decision to make, regardless of how terrible I felt, as stealing was against the company rules, and more fundamentally, against my own personal values.

I have had to terminate many employees in my career. Not one has been easy, but the really difficult ones have been those who were not terminated for infraction of company rules. These were cases of separation due to restructuring, poor performance or “bad fit”. Every single one was a huge drain on my emotions, and a terrible blow for the employee. What I always tried to do was to be compassionate.

There is no easy way to terminate someone. The best we can do is support the employee who is leaving in making his/her transition to a new life. Some considerations:

1. Do the right thing financially – pay whatever is due and do it promptly. Remember the employee now faces a great deal of uncertainty, and ability to pay bills will be high on his/her list of concerns.
2. Provide outplacement support – help the employee to chart the next step in his/her career and to find his/her next job.
3. Communicate with the rest of the team. Leave no room for rumours and speculation about what happened to their fellow employee. But be careful to maintain confidentiality.

NB: if someone is fired for cause, remember there are government and company regulations that must be followed. So the above will be subject to the advice of HR and legal counsel.

One of the things I have learned is that termination is not the worst thing that can happen. Many times, it can be the best thing – I have seen many people who have lost their jobs and have come to view it as the best thing that ever happened to them. I have also learned that keeping someone in a job where he/she knows they are not a good fit is a huge disservice to them, to the other employees and to you.

Leadership is about making tough decisions. That does not mean that we have to be heartless. Do what you have to do, but be kind.

TAKE ONE ACTION

Does your organization have a process for termination that is documented and known by all? What type of outplacement support do you offer? Now is the time to put in place a process for supporting people when they leave.

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