Conducting the Termination Meeting

This is a serious meeting. Set the tone for the meeting from the moment you are in direct contact with the employee. It should be clear from the beginning of the meeting that the purpose is to tell the employee important information about his or her job with the organization. Don’t give the employee the false impression that this meeting was called for any other purpose. “You’re fired” shouldn’t be the first words you say to the employee, but you should not engage in any small talk either.

Explain that the purpose of the meeting is to inform the employee that his or her employment is being terminated. Give the reason for the termination but don’t go into any great detail. You might begin the meeting by saying, “I’m going to get right to the point.” The subsequent dialogue should go something like this:

“As I have discussed with you recently, your job performance has not been acceptable. We have reviewed with you what you needed to do to improve or you would be terminated. Unfortunately, this is where we find ourselves today. I asked to meet with you to inform you that your employment is being terminated immediately. This decision has been reviewed and approved by the management of the company and is final. I am going to review with you the information you will be receiving from the company concerning this termination and what will happen next.”

Accept responsibility for the decision. You need to be supportive of this termination decision—don’t try to pass the buck on to someone else, and don’t apologize for taking this action, because this will only send the employee a mixed message and confuse the individual about the appropriateness of the termination. You might say something like “I am sorry that this is happening to you” or “I realize that you will have difficult times ahead” to show empathy, but do not give the employee the impression that you don’t support the termination or that you disagree that it was necessary.

Don’t debate the reason or rationale for the termination. It is possible and even likely that the employee will want to dispute or debate the fairness of this decision (Stage 2, Anger, or Stage 3, Rejection). Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into such an argument or debate because there really is no reason for it— the decision has already been made and approved. Clearly and firmly tell the individual that you are not going to debate the matter; the decision has been made and approved by others, and it is final. What is most important is to get the employee to focus on what is going to happen next, not what has happened in the past (Stage 4, Acceptance).

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t give any reason to believe that this decision is going to change or that you will appeal it to a higher level. The only commitments you should make are the ones that you will be able to deliver and keep. If the terminated employee asks about any established termination appeal processes provided by the organization, explain what they are and provide a written summary of such programs that are available.