Employers Rights Legal

Terminating an employee? Here's what you must consider before firing.

When you decide to start your own business, and you plan to hire employees, you should sit down and create an exit interview policy before you ever begin the interview process. No one wants to think about firing employees when starting a new business – you only want to think about the growth of your business and to dream of expanding and being successful. The harsh reality, however, is that you will likely run across a few bad seeds along the way that seemed full of promise but ended up being nothing but a disappointment. In this case, an exit interview policy will make it far easier for you to let go an employee that just isn’t working out for you and your company.

What is an exit interview policy?

An exit interview policy is a plan that you put in place for use with terminating an employee. When you have gathered proper documentation and have decided to terminate an employee, you first need to form an employee termination letter. Armed with your documentation and your employee termination later, you should then sit down with the employee and outline the reasons for the termination.

By following your exit interview policy, you can be certain to say the right words when this time comes. Knowing what to say is important for two major reasons. Using an exit interview policy, you will leave emotions out of the termination meeting. You will come across in a more professional manner. In addition, the guidelines set forth by your exit interview policy will prevent you from say anything the employee can hold against you later. This is always a concern if the employee decides to take you to court for wrongful termination.

How do I create an exit interview policy?

Your exit interview policy should include precise steps you, or any manager, must take when terminating an employee. It should include a look at various scenarios for termination. Besides a few good examples, the policy should also include templates for termination letters and any other forms you may need to use in the termination process. Knowing what to include in these procedures and templates can be a bit overwhelming. Therefore, when creating an exit interview policy, it is best to consult a business or human resources handbook.

Even if you are an experienced Human Resources Manager, you need to remain continuously up-to-date in the best practices for employee termination. You can never be too careful when terminating an employee and when developing an exit interview policy – your business depends on it.