Could this be true? Many people would think not. But with the right approach, along with the use of a few well-chosen phrases, this is possible.
Roosevelt's Insight on Fear
Roosevelt famously said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." The same is true when thinking about a tough conversation with an employee. If we anticipate conflict and argument, then fear follows. With fear comes a combination of defense and aggression, so we march into the conversation communicating that we expect a fight from the beginning with our body language and tone of voice. Whatever attitude we take into the meeting will be copied by the individual themselves. If you expect a fight, you will get one.
Desired Outcomes of Difficult Conversations
What do we actually want as an outcome? Well, we want improvement, and if that is not possible, for the person to recognize this and leave. And for the conversation itself? We want this to be respectful, honest, calm, and solution-focused. But how is this achieved?
Helping the Individual
The first thing to hold in your mind is that you are having this conversation to help the individual. Your only aim is for them to be happy and successful in their job role, either their current one or another. Remember, there is a reason that you are having this conversation. They either don’t fit in the culture or they are failing to make the grade. They will know this, even if they don’t admit it to you, and it does not feel good to fail. Dripping water, over time, wears through stone. A steady sense of failure, over time, erodes self-esteem, confidence, and happiness.
Recognizing Potential
The second image to hold strongly in your mind is that, although they may be failing in their current job role with you, they have the capability and potential to be successful somewhere else. Keep talking about what they are good at and where you would see them thriving (amazing how often you do this and they answer with "Yeah, my mum always said I would be good at x!"). Thank them for what they have done for you, however small, even if it is just "You have a cheeky grin that lights up the floor."
Addressing Shortcomings
Introduce the topic of their shortcomings by talking about what the company needs from their current role. Detail it all out, not only the deliverables in terms of figures but also attitude such as positivity, team player, and the ability to work on their own initiative. By the time you have finished, they will have pretty much figured out that they are falling short! Just finish the list with "And currently you are not meeting those targets," with some recent examples to demonstrate.
Possible Outcomes and Next Steps
If employment law permits, you may then be saying, "And as a result, I regrettably have to let you go." If not, you will be holding a series of conversations about them improving. Detail the exact short-term improvements you need to witness and set an early review date. If they hit those targets, set some more and congratulate yourself on bringing someone back from the brink. If they do not, then ask, "You agreed to deliver x improvements, and yet have not, what happened?"
Eventually, if they continue to fail to hit improvement targets, the realization will be dawning on them that they are not going to make the grade. You then come in with, "I have no choice but to let you go. I am sad to see you go as you are good at x, but you are not fulfilling the key requirements of this role. My hands are tied. However, I wish you the very best of luck in the future, and I hope you will seriously consider my opinion that your skills are best suited in y field."
This is when they say, "Thank you."
From India, Delhi
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3Roosevelt's Insight on Fear
Roosevelt famously said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." The same is true when thinking about a tough conversation with an employee. If we anticipate conflict and argument, then fear follows. With fear comes a combination of defense and aggression, so we march into the conversation communicating that we expect a fight from the beginning with our body language and tone of voice. Whatever attitude we take into the meeting will be copied by the individual themselves. If you expect a fight, you will get one.
Desired Outcomes of Difficult Conversations
What do we actually want as an outcome? Well, we want improvement, and if that is not possible, for the person to recognize this and leave. And for the conversation itself? We want this to be respectful, honest, calm, and solution-focused. But how is this achieved?
Helping the Individual
The first thing to hold in your mind is that you are having this conversation to help the individual. Your only aim is for them to be happy and successful in their job role, either their current one or another. Remember, there is a reason that you are having this conversation. They either don’t fit in the culture or they are failing to make the grade. They will know this, even if they don’t admit it to you, and it does not feel good to fail. Dripping water, over time, wears through stone. A steady sense of failure, over time, erodes self-esteem, confidence, and happiness.
Recognizing Potential
The second image to hold strongly in your mind is that, although they may be failing in their current job role with you, they have the capability and potential to be successful somewhere else. Keep talking about what they are good at and where you would see them thriving (amazing how often you do this and they answer with "Yeah, my mum always said I would be good at x!"). Thank them for what they have done for you, however small, even if it is just "You have a cheeky grin that lights up the floor."
Addressing Shortcomings
Introduce the topic of their shortcomings by talking about what the company needs from their current role. Detail it all out, not only the deliverables in terms of figures but also attitude such as positivity, team player, and the ability to work on their own initiative. By the time you have finished, they will have pretty much figured out that they are falling short! Just finish the list with "And currently you are not meeting those targets," with some recent examples to demonstrate.
Possible Outcomes and Next Steps
If employment law permits, you may then be saying, "And as a result, I regrettably have to let you go." If not, you will be holding a series of conversations about them improving. Detail the exact short-term improvements you need to witness and set an early review date. If they hit those targets, set some more and congratulate yourself on bringing someone back from the brink. If they do not, then ask, "You agreed to deliver x improvements, and yet have not, what happened?"
Eventually, if they continue to fail to hit improvement targets, the realization will be dawning on them that they are not going to make the grade. You then come in with, "I have no choice but to let you go. I am sad to see you go as you are good at x, but you are not fulfilling the key requirements of this role. My hands are tied. However, I wish you the very best of luck in the future, and I hope you will seriously consider my opinion that your skills are best suited in y field."
This is when they say, "Thank you."
From India, Delhi
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Good to read your post. Please allow me to share a few nuggets on this.
Challenges in Firing Employees
Firing people is not an easy task for HR professionals, especially when the organization faces tough times.
When HR is involved in this task, the following things need to be done:
- Insist that the Line Manager (his/her Supervisor) is present in the meeting with the would-be ex-employee.
- Tough discussions on unmet results/expectations should be conducted by the Line Manager.
- HR needs to take an empathetic approach so that the would-be ex-employee doesn’t suffer emotionally from this event.
- HR should treat them with dignity and ensure they are escorted out of the office with grace.
- Their Full and Final (F&F) settlement should have a good payout so that they don’t suffer financially, as they are not likely to get a job immediately.
- Many good organizations have tie-ups with top agencies for the placement of displaced employees.
- HR should keep in touch with them post-separation.
All the above efforts are required to ensure the Brand Equity of the Organization is not diluted.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
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Challenges in Firing Employees
Firing people is not an easy task for HR professionals, especially when the organization faces tough times.
When HR is involved in this task, the following things need to be done:
- Insist that the Line Manager (his/her Supervisor) is present in the meeting with the would-be ex-employee.
- Tough discussions on unmet results/expectations should be conducted by the Line Manager.
- HR needs to take an empathetic approach so that the would-be ex-employee doesn’t suffer emotionally from this event.
- HR should treat them with dignity and ensure they are escorted out of the office with grace.
- Their Full and Final (F&F) settlement should have a good payout so that they don’t suffer financially, as they are not likely to get a job immediately.
- Many good organizations have tie-ups with top agencies for the placement of displaced employees.
- HR should keep in touch with them post-separation.
All the above efforts are required to ensure the Brand Equity of the Organization is not diluted.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
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Actually, the Line Managers are the ones who handle Human Resources. HR professionals are there to implement the policies of the Management, coordinate, and take actions as per Management guidelines.
Role of Line Managers in HR Activities
Therefore, in all activities concerning performance or otherwise, recruiting Team Members or relieving them, etc., the concerned Line Managers should be fully involved. As the old proverb goes, "Employees do not leave the organization, but leave the Managers," which is apt in this circumstance also. The concerned Line Managers should be in a position to explain and clarify to the employee who is quitting or who is getting sacked, the appropriate reasons from his point of view, as Team Leader.
From India, Bengaluru
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Role of Line Managers in HR Activities
Therefore, in all activities concerning performance or otherwise, recruiting Team Members or relieving them, etc., the concerned Line Managers should be fully involved. As the old proverb goes, "Employees do not leave the organization, but leave the Managers," which is apt in this circumstance also. The concerned Line Managers should be in a position to explain and clarify to the employee who is quitting or who is getting sacked, the appropriate reasons from his point of view, as Team Leader.
From India, Bengaluru
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I'm not a manager, but I'm an engineer in a team. In my case, I was asking the manager to give me work that suits me, i.e., related to my education and projects. I'm a fresher and joined company XXX as an electronics design engineer. I waited for 5 months to be given work worth doing, but the manager had zero technical knowledge. Neither does he allow us to build, nor does he know how. He calls a third party to do everything and gives us PowerPoint or Word documents. After asking in a meeting to be relieved from my team, he got really upset and started to blackmail me, saying I would be out of the company in 3 months after leaving this team and all that stuff. But I didn't stop; I refused to do menial jobs for him, and finally, he asked what I wanted to do. I said I'm interested in embedded systems, and I will not work in this team for 3 years as he was asking me to do for a two-day workshop that taught me stuff I already knew.
After 1 month, to make me afraid, he sent an email to HR and other managers saying I was relieved from his team and blah blah. I just replied with a two-word message, "THANK YOU," with everyone in CC. I made up my mind that I will do my master's if I don't get a chance in another electronics project. This guy interviewed me for 1 hour, saying he works for IoT. This is a famous MNC HQ in Hyderabad engineering service company. Managers should think about what an employee needs. Are we giving him proper work? Will his career grow?
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After 1 month, to make me afraid, he sent an email to HR and other managers saying I was relieved from his team and blah blah. I just replied with a two-word message, "THANK YOU," with everyone in CC. I made up my mind that I will do my master's if I don't get a chance in another electronics project. This guy interviewed me for 1 hour, saying he works for IoT. This is a famous MNC HQ in Hyderabad engineering service company. Managers should think about what an employee needs. Are we giving him proper work? Will his career grow?
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