Managers may find firing employees the toughest. I felt a pit in my stomach for days before the first try. The proper individuals on the team and dismissing the ineffective ones are crucial to a competent manager.

Describe the issue

Write down what’s wrong with the employee to start the process. Do they mess up and overlook information, or do they communicate poorly with customers? Your cause for firing them must be clear.

Obtain evidence

To avoid discrimination claims in today’s legal landscape, you need proof on why someone was dismissed. This documentation may include communications, deliverables, or weekly progress reports.

Discuss with the employee first.

After determining the nature of the problem, candidly discuss it with the employee. This is not the conclusion of the conversation. When it is said that “There is a lot that isn’t working,” it is considered to be “raising a red flag.” Here are some examples to consider. Is there a way to remedy this? Due to the fact that you are required to discuss the difficulties and let the employee to ask questions, this conversation is going to be unpleasant.

In order to prevent an employee from being surprised if they are fired and to give them the opportunity to modify their behavior, you should take this step. A significant number of employees at this level do not correct the behavior.

Provide a performance improvement strategy.

Now after providing the employee with a comprehensive explanation of the issues, it is imperative that they improve their performance or face the possibility of being fired from their position. A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) should be created for them so that you can monitor any potential improvements in their performance.

What isn’t working is documented in writing in a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), including specific strategies you want to monitor to see if performance is improving. It is essential to take this extra step so that it is abundantly clear that an employee’s termination was for performance-related reasons and not prejudice.

Have frequent checkins to demonstrate performance improvement.

The average PIP lasts 2–4 weeks. You should check up with the employee to see whether they’re progressing as per the PIP.Now you may decide whether to fire them:Improved performance is fantastic! From above, they’re in Category A, so concentrate on coaching.Continue steps 6–10 if they don’t perform.

How will you cover their role gap?

In most cases, firing an employee who is not performing up to expectations does not result in a significant disruption to the organization. If there are still obligations that need to be completed, you will need to ask other members of the team to cover them or monitor their corporate email until you locate someone to take their position.

Communicate with HR

At this point in the employee termination process, you are ready to proceed with the absolute rigor of terminating the person. You should meet with the HR leader to review the documentation you’ve collected and make sure he or she is aligned with what’s happening.

He will prepare some additional documents including any legal letters and employee final checks. Some companies offer severance (meaning you continue to pay a terminated employee for a short time while they find a new job). Doing so is completely dependent on your company’s policy and finances.

Meet early in the morning

I recommend that someone close first thing in the morning, ideally before everyone else arrives. You should schedule the meeting the day before. If someone is on a performance improvement plan, they probably know this is coming and won’t be too surprised. You should always have someone else in the room, ideally your HR leader.

Talk quickly and respectfully.

The meeting itself should be very quick, ideally just a few minutes. You have to come up with news as soon as you sit down. I usually say something like “We need to have a hard conversation. Unfortunately, things aren’t working out here and today is going to be your last day at the company.

If the employee argues, you cannot engage and must end it quickly. You can say something like “Unfortunately this decision has already been finalized, so going back on it right now would not be productive.”

You must be incredibly respectful and compassionate. Just because this person isn’t a good fit for your organization doesn’t mean they’re bad. Be encouraging, have a box of tissues and treat the employee like a human being.

Help them exit gracefully.

You’ve completed the difficult meeting and now you just need to help the employee walk out of the building respectfully. If they’re visibly upset, you can suggest that they go for a walk and come back later to get their stuff. You can offer to help them gather things from their desks. You may have to answer some questions about any job transfer or unemployment benefits.

At the end of the employee’s termination process, you should send them out, shake their hands, thank them genuinely for their efforts, and wish them well in finding something new.