Termination Dilemma: Should We Provide a Relieving Letter? Seeking Guidance from Seniors

Dear Seniors, I have an important query regarding whether we should provide the relieving letter in the case of termination or not. Please guide.

If the employer is firing someone, then I think you should give notice. You have not mentioned the reason for the firing, so I am not able to provide a clear idea about it.

Termination or Resignation: Understanding Separation

Termination or resignation, both fall under separation. When an employee is discharged from an organization, they should be relieved as per the company's procedures, and a letter should be issued to this effect.

Pon

Termination and Relieving Letters

When you say an employee is terminated, it means you have issued a Termination Letter, mentioning the reason for termination. In such a case, there is no need to issue a separate relieving letter. The Termination Letter itself will state that your services are terminated, and you are relieved on a specific date.

In case you do not wish to issue a termination letter and potentially harm the future of the employee, take him into confidence, obtain a resignation from him, and issue a formal relieving letter.

Completely agree with vkokamthankar. In the best interest of the employee and also following moral values, ask the employee to submit their resignation. Issue a relieving letter after completing the full and final settlement.

Regards,
Swati

Have you completed the full and final settlement of such an employee? What is the basis of termination? If it involves issues like theft and the legal matter is going to court, you should wait until the verdict comes.

If you have internally settled it or if you have terminated him/her based on performance, you should release both the relieving and experience certificates. You can issue the experience certificate immediately, but provide the relieving letter only after the full and final settlement is done.

When you say an employee is terminated, it means you have issued a Termination Letter, mentioning the reason for termination. In such a case, there is no need to issue a separate relieving letter. The Termination Letter itself will state that your services are terminated, and you are relieved on a specific date.

In case you do not wish to issue a termination letter and potentially harm the employee's future, then take them into confidence, obtain their resignation, and issue a formal relieving letter.

A relieving letter includes details such as designation, scale of pay, service period, reason for leaving, etc., whereas a termination letter may not cover all these aspects. What harm is there in issuing a relieving letter when the terminated employee has completed all formalities as per procedures?

Regards,
Pon

I beg to differ with you. I feel you are confusing the Relieving Letter with the Service Certificate. The Relieving Letter only states that your resignation dated so and so is accepted, and you are/will be relieved from the services from so and so date.

Service Certificate Details

The Service Certificate generally mentions Name, Date of Joining, Last Held Designation, Date of Relieving, Last Drawn Salary, Reason for Leaving, etc. Some organizations issue the above two documents separately, while some organizations issue one document which is a combination of both.

"Relieving letter says many things like designation, scale of pay, service period, reason for leaving, etc., whereas a termination letter does not cover all those aspects. What is the harm in issuing a relieving letter when the terminated employee fulfilled all formalities as per procedures?" - Pon

Termination of Employment for Misconduct or Underperformance

Termination of employment for proven misconduct or underperformance will not be followed by a relieving letter and/or experience certificate. The termination letter will contain an intimation to the terminated employee to settle their accounts with the company/establishment, preferably within two days from the date of termination.

The concerned employee, on their part, should not accept a relieving order even if given; otherwise, it will amount to their acceptance of the termination.

Regards,
Sanu Soman
HR Manager

Hi all,

If any employee receives a termination letter after submitting their resignation, do you think it is fair to terminate them for minor issues post-resignation?

Hi,

Can anyone share a termination letter format? Our employee is not serving the notice period, and based on disciplinary grounds, the employee is being terminated. I would appreciate it if anyone could assist me with the format.

Regards,

Marlina Kobba, Sr. HR