Chapter 15. Terminating Employees

IT'S A NEW WORLD OUT THERE ...

Firing and . . .

  • How to conduct terminations the right way.

  • Termination: The final disciplinary step.

  • Reasons for termination.

  • Dealing with layoffs and downsizings.

  • Ensuring fairness of terminations.

  • How to fire employees.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS . . .

Unless you're Donald Trump, one of the most difficult jobs for any manager is to fire an employee. And no matter how many times you do it, firing employees is never something a manager looks forward to doing. But terminating employees is a part of every manager's job, and it's a skill that you can learn and improve.

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to help someone succeed in your organization, there's nothing you can do to save him or her. Terminations aren't limited only to your discretion, sometimes employees "fire" themselves. If you're lucky, they will give you two weeks' notice.

In this chapter, we'll consider that most permanent form of employee discipline—termination—what they are, and how to do them the right way. We'll explore the difference between a layoff and a firing and take a close look at the importance of documentation to support your actions.

DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF TERMINATIONS

There is more than one kind of termination—they vary depending on the situation. To begin, there are two major categories of employee termination: voluntary and involuntary. A voluntary termination is a termination that an employee performs of his or her own free will. An involuntary termination ...

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