Terminating a high level employee can be intimidating
if you are a small business owner or a Human Resources
Manager. If you are a small business owner, terminating
a high level employee may also be emotionally challenging
because you have likely formed a close relationship with
that person. Nonetheless, you may need to terminate the
high level employee for the survival of your business.
Steps to Follow when Terminating a High Level Employee
In many ways, terminating a high level employee is no
different from terminating any other employee. It involves
gaining proper documentation and having discussions with
the employee about his or her poor performance. In addition,
you must draft an employee termination letter and conduct
an exit interview.
Terminating a high level employee presents its own set
of challenges. For example, you will likely need to draft
a severance package for the employee. You might also need
to negotiate whether you will provide the employee with
support in finding a new position. If the termination is
amicable, you can also discuss the potential for rehire.
You must document all of this information in your employee
termination letter.
The Impact of Terminating a High Level Employee
Terminating a high level employee garners much attention
from other employees. After all, this may be their boss
you are firing! You will need to assure workers that business
will continue to run as usual after terminating this person.
While you obviously cannot discuss the reasons for the
termination with your other employees, you should call
them together in a meeting and explain the high level employee
will no longer be working for the company. During this
discussion, make it clear who their direct supervisor will
be and whether that person is permanently or temporarily
in charge.
Your employees will likely have a mixture of feelings
about the termination of the high level employee. More
than likely, some will be happy to see that person go while
others will feel disappointed. Regardless of their personal
feelings, all will be nervous about working with the new
supervisor. You must work to make this transition go as
smoothly as possible. You can do this by formally introducing
the new supervisor to the employees, if the supervisor
is new to them. Then explain why you have such confidence
in that person’s abilities. By seeing your confidence
in the new high level employee, the rest of your employees
should feel more confident too.
The
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