Painful, but Necessary: The Termination Process

In these hard economic times, many of us have had to witness the firing of beloved colleagues. I thought it might be useful to review current employment practices, which are different from what many of us grew accustomed to over the course of our careers.

Under California law, employment is considered “at will.” This means that employers can terminate or lay off employees at any time without cause or notice (employees also can quit without notice). Gone are the three legally mandated warnings of poor performance with periodic evaluations to check on improvement, although many organizations continue to follow this practice in order to give employees a chance to meet required standards.

And so it is that, without warning, an employer can say, “You’re fired, pack your things,” and escort you off the premises without an opportunity to say goodbye to friends and coworkers. It may seem inhumane, but from the employer’s perspective there is a very real fear that a terminated employee left in place for any length of time will do serious damage to an organization—“misplacing” files, stealing client lists, negatively affecting employee morale, etc.

Because termination is painful for all parties involved, doing it quickly is usually easier than allowing for the ritual leave-taking of old. A lengthy departure can create an unhealthy work environment for those who remain.

The reasons for termination are wide and varied. An employee may have been caught stealing, is chronically tardy, doesn’t work well with others, makes too many mistakes or just lacks competence. They may be hard workers, honest and loyal, but if they can’t perform the job to an organization’s expectations, then it is certainly understandable why termination is necessary.

Even when this is the case, employees deserve to be terminated with professionalism and respect. The termination act is a private event between the manager doing the firing and the employee being let go. Most managers do not relish terminating an employee. It is stressful to cause anyone pain. On the other hand, it can be difficult for a manager to be compassionate when the employee being terminated has been irritating, difficult, unwilling to follow procedures, or otherwise counterproductive over a long period of time. Even so, it is the prerogative of the person with the power to do it with kindness, offering to help, even if rebuked.

The boss is the obvious person upon whom anger can be vented; it should not be taken personally. Employees are upset by the situation and at the person who bears the bad news, and they blame the boss rightly or wrongly for creating havoc in their lives. In our culture working is tied to our feelings of self-worth, and in these hard economic times, loss of income can be devastating, especially if prospects of another job are low.

The good boss, like the good parent, should accept the anger as legitimate without responding with anger. Managers should put aside their own difficulties in order to be generous in that moment.

What is particularly difficult for those who continue with the organization, the remaining employees, is that information concerning the reasons for termination cannot be divulged. Many organizations have policies in place designed to protect the privacy of the individual terminated. While this may lead other employees to wonder who might be fired next and be unhappy with management for creating a stressful environment, the termination process is difficult, but necessary, for any organization’s success.

Copyright © 2013. Natasha Josefowitz. All rights reserved.