I recently had the unfortunate task of assisting a client with terminating an employee. Once the decision was made, we had to deliver the message to the employee as soon as possible. The manager had conducted separation meetings previously, but asked me for some guidance.

Terminations are one of the toughest responsibilities for any leader. There are legal and regulatory issues to consider, plus the human element of delivering bad news to another person. While there's no easy way to deal with this task, there are things you can do to make the process run smoothly. 

Getting prepared for a separation meeting

The most important thing is to prepare as much as possible before the meeting begins. Here are some details to consider

• Location: Reserve a conference room so you are on neutral ground.
• Witness: Although not required, I recommend having a witness attend the separation meeting, especially if you think the employee is going to get argumentative and defensive.  If Human Resources is not available, have another manager-level employee attend the meeting with you.
• Security: Everyone reacts differently when they hear that today is going to be their last day with the company. If you have any safety concerns, call security or local law enforcement to stand by.  You may not need them, but it’s better to be safe! Also, situate yourself in the room so you are closest to the door if you feel you need to leave. This is another reason to have a conference room so you are not stuck in a corner behind your desk.
• Timesheets: If the employee has to complete a time sheet, make sure you have a method to get that done. It may mean you have a laptop with you that they can use to complete his time sheet at the end of the meeting.
• Final Pay: Know the state regulations on issuing final paychecks. Several states require you to issue the final paycheck earlier than the next payroll run.
• Benefits: Know what will happen to the employee’s benefits and how that information will be communicated to they. Let them know that they will receive COBRA information in the mail.
• IT: Make sure IT is on standby just before the separation meeting occurs so they can disable the employee’s accounts.
• Passwords: Ask the employee for any passwords to company systems or spreadsheets.
• Company Assets: Know what company-issued equipment the employee has in their possession, such as laptops, cellphones, keys, or security badges

If the employee doesn't have it all with them that day, arrange a way to collect it. You can have them drop it off at the office or you can offer to pay for it to be shipped. I do not normally recommend meeting the employee somewhere for an exchange because you just don’t know how this change has affected them and what they might do. Note that you cannot withhold pay in exchange for the return of company assets.

• Escort: The most uncomfortable part about terminating an employee may be escorting them to their desk to collect their personal things, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid the escort. It is important that someone stays with them until they walk out the door to ensure they do not take any company property or proprietary information. You also do not want them disturbing employees or clients as they exit the building.
• Personal belongings: Think about how much personal stuff the employee has and make sure you have enough boxes to help them pack up their belongings. If they have a lot of personal belongings, you may want to offer to ship them.
• Communicating to the organization: Prepare to communicate the change to the organization. Let everyone know that the employee is no longer with the company but details of why should not be shared. Communicate with those directly impacted about how that individual’s work will be redistributed and what the long-term plan is going to be.
• Document, document, document: Document what was said during the separation meeting just in case the employee makes any sort of claim later and send it to Human Resources to keep on file.

Some of these steps may seem excessive, especially if you feel that the employee is unlikely to have an overly negative response. However, in situations such as these, it's to everyone's benefit if you have a clear, well-organized process for managing separations. 

How to conduct a separation meeting

What about the meeting itself? Again, it's best to be prepared. This means being familiar with the details of the situation and the HR process that has resulted in a decision to terminate. Here are a few tips to help the conversation go smoothly: 

• The meeting should be short:  10-15 minutes maximum.
• Do not dance around the issue: Explain the purpose of the meeting within the first minute.
• Be clear that the decision has already been made: There is no need to go through a thorough explanation of why this is happening.
• Don't center your own feelings: Phrases like “I don’t want to do this, but…” are too close to dealing with your own feelings and not about what the employee is feeling.
• Do not apologize: It makes it sound like you are not confident in the company’s decision.
• Allow for some venting: If the employee tries criticizing the customer, the company, or management, let them vent, but don’t let the meeting get out of control.
• Do not get defensive: It's a bad idea to engage in an argument with the employee, especially if they are upset.
• Acknowledge what is being said: But do not agree or disagree.
• Note any suggestion of legal risk: Listen for remarks indicating discrimination claims or other legal threats. Do not engage with these remarks during the meeting, but be sure to report any concerns back to the HR team afterward. 
• Move on: When ready, transition into the close-out process to help the person to move forward.

I also recommend preparing some talking points ahead of time so you know what you are going to say and to help you stay on track.

Need help with difficult HR decisions

I cannot tell you how many times I have gone through these tips with managers in the past and when we get into the meeting, they do everything we talked about not doing. It’s not because they were not paying attention or didn't care; separation meetings are just so uncomfortable and people get so nervous that they just forget everything we talked about ahead of time.  (As a side note, the manager in this particular situation did a great job!  He did exactly what we talked about.)

Terminations are one of those difficult HR jobs that often require an expert touch. If you'd like to speak with an experienced consultant, book a call with Helios HR today!