How to soften the blow when you're forced to fire

   Once you have decided to fire an employee, what you say and do when you break the news can soften the blow and lessen the chances that legal charges will be filed against the company.
   Human resources consultant Thomas E. Kennedy, the president of Chicago's Human Resource Consultants Inc., offers this advice:
   • When you terminate someone, do it in privacy, and have a witness from management to substantiate what happens in the meeting. "Be as compassionate as possible. Don't be vindictive," he says.
   • Don't beat around the bush. State the reason for dismissal briefly. "But don't dwell on the past. Don't bring up everything they've done. You're not going to change your decision, and you don't want to spend an hour arguing about it. A lot of managers get into justifying. You don't need to do that. Just communicate your decision," Mr. Kennedy says.
   • Be calm and professional. "The most difficult thing a supervisor does is to let someone go. You have to understand that to the employee, this is capital punishment. It has a tremendous psychological impact," Mr. Kennedy says. The employer should contain anger, regret, sadness, frustration or other emotions.
   • Have a final check available. "It makes it a little easier for them to go home to the family if they've got a check to get them through a few weeks," Mr. Kennedy says.
   • Don't treat departing employees like criminals (unless you think violent behavior is possible). Allow them time to gather their things and leave the building with dignity intact.
   • If possible, especially at the executive level, offer employees some continued assistance. "Let them keep the company car for two or three weeks or their health insurance for a few months," Mr. Kennedy says.
   • Offer outplacement service, even if all your company can afford is something like resume-writing help. "It's better for them to be talking to someone about getting their resume together and job-hunting than for them to be sitting home on their couch thinking about calling a lawyer to sue you."
   • If the firing is because of a job elimination, have information available on how the worker can file for unemployment compensation.
   • Have a box of tissues on your desk.

by Michele Donley, Crain's Chicago Business

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