for Prof. Shaukat only

Firing Skills: A Human Resource Skill Set

One element of Human Resources is the role that HR has to play in firing employees.

There are consistent themes and concepts surrounding the termination of employees.

Terminating someone’s job and employment is often a necessary but difficult skill that some Human Resource Professionals find difficult if not impossible to grasp, while others in the field do progress to the point where they accomplish this difficult and emotionally challenging task with skill and compassion.

I suggest there are approaches and steps that HR professionals can adapt and put to use on an ongoing basis.

Professional Techniques Steps and Skills required to best implement employee terminations

 First and foremost terminations should never come as a “ complete shock and surprise”. In the worst case scenarios Employees don’t even have a clue they are about to lose their jobs.. its devastating to them ..and its really bad!!!! HR.

Instead HR should open up communications that “signal” problems to the employees.. such as “ the company announced today that it missed it’s financial projections and is mounting an aggressive restructuring strategy aimed at resetting the company’s business plans.”

 Put yourself in their shoes. How would you want to be treated. Remember that in almost every case it will at some point happen to you of the course of your career. How will you feel when it happens to you.. and it will.. These “feelings’ that people have when they lose their job are always the same.. it’s an HR experience that almost every employee will encounter.. many more than once.

 Always be sure you do not make it “personal”. It was not their fault that the company suffered a financial setback.. make sure to be very clear that there was nothing more the person could have done to save their job.. they did everything expected of them and more.. it was beyond their control.. Allow the person to leave with dignity and mutual respect.

 Almost all terminations ( over 99.9%) are not “for cause” make sure you reiterate this was not “their fault” and they were a fine hardworking dedicated employee who unfortunately got caught up in an economic downturn that required the organization to change. There was nothing they or anyone could have done about this; this was not of their doing.

 Never throw anyone out of a building. Many companies are very bad at this.. and HR is to blame.. every employee should be allowed to to leave with dignity and respect, say their good bye’s etc. Again this is a global universal theme.. Good HR is the same all over the world when it comes to terminations.

 Offer generous professional support and assistance. Good severance is an investment in the future of the company. A company’s reputation is at stake here.. again a there is a global HR theme..

 HR should recognize that the loss of a job has been rated as one of the most difficult extremely high stress events in anyone’s life... Again a universal global HR Theme.. Studies have shown it to the # 3 worst personal experience right after the loss of parent or loss of a spouse.

 HR must anticipate questions that might be asked and be prepared with answers. i.e pay, vacations, benefits, severance, references. Again this is simply good global HR practice.. a universal concept.

· HR must make clear to the employee that the decision to terminate is final. There is no possibility to negotiate or change the final outcome.. don’t offer or hold out hope to the employee.. It not fair to the employee or good HR..

· Terminating employee is one of the hardest jobs and most difficult tasks of HR Professionals .. it is so difficult in fact that there is actually a trained cadre of HR professional trained to do this type or work..

It not easy to do.. it should be hard and it is important…

A good professional should always remember and keep in mind how they would like to be treated..

It happens all the time and you can expect that it will happen to you.. Please remember that .. Its important..

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