Setting Up the Termination Meeting

April 13, 2006

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If you need to fire or lay off someone, it should always be done face-to-face, never by letter or over the phone.

Who should conduct the meeting? In most cases the immediate supervisor of the worker should be responsible because he or she is usually most familiar with the reasons for the discharge. Also, the supervisor will usually be most familiar with the worker's personality and will be most able to handle him or her in the face of bad news. If you are not the immediate supervisor, let him or her handle the meeting.

Who should be at the meeting? Besides the supervisor (which will usually be you) and the worker who's being fired, there are situations where you may want to have a third party attend the meeting. If the person being terminated requests a witness, it's probably best that you allow this, so that the person doesn't feel that he or she is being railroaded out the door unfairly. But do explain that the person is there as an observer only, not to act as a representative or argue on behalf of the worker.

You may also want to have a witness present if trouble is expected or if an objective third person is needed. Sometimes a second company representative is seen, however, as an attempt to "gang up" on the terminated employee. You'll have to use your own judgment in this regard.

Where to conduct the meeting? You'll want to conduct the meeting out of sight and earshot of any other employees, in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. The meeting room should be in a location that does not alert other people as to what is taking place.

Many advisors say that meetings should be held on neutral ground — not in your office, and not in the departing worker's office or workplace.

Privacy and neutral territory may be difficult to find in a small business and especially if you work out of your home, so consider holding the meeting in a nearby restaurant or coffee shop. Holding the meeting in a quiet public place has other advantages: it may be easier to avoid emotional outbursts on anyone's part, and it will be easy for you to end the meeting by getting up and walking away (after picking up the tab, of course).

When to hold the meeting? Early in the day and early in the week is generally considered the best time to hold a termination interview.

Avoid Fridays and the day before a holiday or vacation. An employee who is let go on a Friday has two days to brood about his or her treatment by the company and to look for ways to retaliate. On the other hand, discharging a person early in the week provides him or her with an opportunity to focus on the future and begin looking for a new job right away. Also, the person who's doing the firing won't have to leave for the weekend with the bad memory of a distasteful task on his or her mind.

For similar reasons, the discharge should be conducted early in the day. People are fresher, more rested and better equipped to deal with adversity and stress earlier in the day. People tend to be tired and short-tempered later in the day, which may increase the chance for an unpleasant reaction to bad news. Also, discharging earlier in the day allows you to get back into the work routine and overcome any unwarranted guilt that may exist for having to fire an employee.