What to keep in mind when dismissing an employee?

The dismissal of an employee is, contrary to appearances, a rather difficult task for the employer. Not only how quickly he finds a new job, but also his opinion about the company he will pass on. Therefore, you should always be well prepared for such a meeting. Although it is not easy to interview the dismissed employee, each manager must be trained accordingly. Unfortunately, in our country, due attention is still not paid to the fact that the form of dismissal has a huge impact on the employee himself, but also on the company itself, about which such a person will speak later.

If the dismissal is communicated in the right way, the self-esteem of the worker will not be seriously undermined, making it easier for the worker to come to terms with this decision and to start looking for new employment more quickly. A well-conducted interview can also bring with it important information about the person's way of working or his or her skills. The most important thing to remember is to prepare yourself carefully for the interview with the dismissed employee.

The reasons for such a decision must first of all be objective, properly documented and justified. You need to spend more time on the meeting so that you don't hurry up with all the information we have to provide. We must be as gentle as possible and show appropriate empathy for the dismissed person. It is also worth creating a kind of job evaluation, which will help such an employee in further development. So we clearly give him information about what we think are his strengths, which will help him to find another job, and what he should definitely work on. Of course, we must also make it clear that the decision on the exemption is final and nothing can change it in this regard.

Remember to pay attention not only to the content of such a conversation, but also to what words we use, how we intonate them and how they are passed on to the employee. Another, very important issue, when the dismissal is not the employee's fault, is to emphasise this fact - even several times. Situations where redundancies are necessary, the redundant worker must be assured that the decision to say goodbye is not a result of his work. It should be stressed that the employer is satisfied with the way in which the employee performs his duties and the results achieved. Remember that at such a moment, the employee becomes disillusioned, so it is advisable to repeat such a message even several times.

Thanks to this, the information will not get lost in the stream of words and thoughts that roll through his head in such a difficult moment. Where more than one person is made redundant, this should also be mentioned. Fortunately, more and more companies in our country are trying to support employees who are made redundant through no fault of their own. It is about all types of activities within the company, which help such an employee to find a job on the labour market and thus to find a new job more quickly.

One example of such action is the use of outplacement programmes organised by employment agencies. As part of such programmes, redundant workers can participate in workshops on how to move around the labour market, but also receive assistance in the proper preparation of their CV or cover letter. In addition, there are also activities during which employees learn how to behave during a job interview and can talk to a career consultant.