Terminating
an employee? Here's what you must consider before firing.
Writing a termination letter can be difficult. Well-written
sample termination letters will give the fired employee plenty
of useful information, including why you are firing him or
her.
The tone of your termination letter should be firm and not
unkind, but at the same time you should not include any tone
of apology (unless of course you are downsizing, which is a
different case). You surely have your reasons for not wanting
to employ the person any more
And, you should never express in your termination letter that
you feel bad for terminating him or her -- although I know
that it seems kind. Why? This is because fired employees often
read your expressed feeling of regret as an admission that
you have done something wrong. This in turn leads to a wrongful
termination suit with your "I'm sorry" as the start
witness.
Now here's how you start your termination letter.
"Dear Andrew, I am writing to tell you that on August
7th, 2006, I am terminating your employment here at the Traveling
Poetry Bag Shop." This is the generic opening line and
it should work fine for you.
After this, you want to state concisely and clearly your
reasons for the termination. Without making it too harsh
or too personal, it is important that you sum up everything
that led to terminating the employee.
Continue with this:
"In the past month, 15 customers have filed complaints,
saying that you treated them rudely or unprofessionally. When
confronted about this behavior, you did not make any effort
to improve your attitude. Traveling Poetry Bag sales are down
by 50-70% when you are on shift." This may seem harsh,
but it is best to avoid leaving any questions about why you
terminated the employee.
After you have stated all the problems you had with the employee,
it is best to provide some advice or encouragement for future
endeavors (even if you wouldn’t wish the employee on
your worst enemy).
This could look like:
"While your behavior is not compatible with our needs,
I am sure that your wide knowledge of bags will be a perfect
match with a future employer. I wish you luck in finding a
job that is a better fit."
Your letter won’t be this concise, since you should
write it to meet your circumstances.
The
employer's guidebook to progressive discipline and employee termination
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