The importance of making a good final impression when saying goodbye to an employee is often underestimated. The farewell should be well prepared – because it affects not only the person leaving, but also the remaining employees. They will both observing closely how people interact with each other, and this will shape their image of the company and how they perceive future cooperation. 

I know that such conversations are not always easy. They are often characterised by excitement and emotion, and it can happen that the wrong communication channel may be chosen. „We are all human“ – we all make mistakes, but the long-term impact on the company and those affected can be enormous. If a resignation is not handled respectfully, this sends a message to both the outside world and internally. 

„I still remember how Jennifer was treated when she was dismissed. She was led away without a proper farewell, which was a big blow to the department.“

Consider what this could mean for the corporate culture and teamwork: it could lead to a negative atmosphere, fear and gossip, which can significantly reduce productivity and, in the worst case, trigger a wave of resignations within a team or department. Nobody wants that. 

This is why it’s all the more important to prepare well for employee farewells. How? Here are my five tips for respectful and sustainable communication:

The 5 tips for respectful and sustainable communication

Preparation is key for this conversation

Think through the various parameters and scenarios before entering into the conversation. Why is this so important? So that there is clarity and so that you have a guideline to follow –especially when emotions run high. Not everything can be answered immediately, but much can be, so be prepared. 

What considerations are necessary for this?

• Termination or mutual agreement
• Leave of absence, yes or no
• Which payments are still outstanding and how should they be handled? 
• Prepare an employment reference
• How will any remaining holiday entitlement and balances in the time account be dealt with? 

Allow sufficient time

The meeting with the employee should not rushed. It would certainly be advantageous to have some free space in your calendar to allow for extra time, if necessary. There is nothing worse than a manager who leaves during the meeting early to rush off to their next appointment. I know these meetings are never pleasant and that you want to get everything over with quickly. However, sometimes employees simply need more time to process what has been said. And it is essential to give them this time.

„My advice to everyone is to schedule at least an hour for the meeting so that everyone has a chance to speak and exchange ideas. If a conflict arises, it is certainly better to interrupt the meeting. But under ’normal‘ circumstances an hour is an appropriate amount of time.“

Open communication

Both employees and companies want to know where they stand in the process. It is therefore important to keep communication as open and clear as possible during the conversation. Be factual when delivering the message, rather than embellishing. Afterwards, you can provide more detail about the decision, as some employees may wish to understand it better. I know this will make all lawyers‘ hair stand on end, as you don’t have to give reasons for a dismissal. However, a clarifying conversation is certainly better in the long run than silence, especially when it comes to rumours.

Depending on the nature of the separation, you have to decide which communication channel to use based on the situation. I am a fan of always telling it like it is. That’s usually the best way for everyone to deal with it.

Offer support

Employees are often blindsided by the decision and unable to cope with it. It is important not to leave them alone in this situation. You can either hire  someone in the HR department to support employees, or you can hire an outplacement service to help the employee through this difficult time and assist them in their job search. Both are good options. Of course, it always depends on the employee’s personality and whether they are willing to accept help, whether internal or external.

„In my experience, having someone from the HR department as the first point of contact in this process is very valuable. However, when it comes to psychological support or a complete reorientation, there are excellent companies such as Jobsbutler or consentiv that specialise in this.“ Read more about outplacement and reorientation in my article: Why is outplacement/newplacement more relevant than ever, especially in times like these?

Be fair

This is the top priority in any process, but especially here. Employees act as ambassadors to the outside world, even during termination meetings. If you take an appreciative approach and are fair and open, employees will appreciate it and communicate this to the outside world. (Keyword: employer branding)

„For example, some companies have a policy of suspending an employee immediately upon dismissal. To me, this always seems like a ‚removal‘, as if the person had done something wrong. So unless there is imminent danger, I would advise against it. I always advocate sitting down together to discuss what makes sense and then finding a good way forward together.“

As you can see, this kind of preparation is not rocket science. It’s more about taking the time to go through the individual steps. Often, decisions are made at the last minute, and then people are surprised when a scandal erupts. That really isn’t necessary. If we recognise that open communication is already practised during the collaboration, then it should also work well in this conversation. This will be appreciated by both sides, because ultimately, everyone just wants to know where they stand and how things will proceed. This provides security.

As managers and HR managers, we should recognise that while these conversations are never pleasant, they can be conducted appreciatively and sustainably. This will benefit employer branding, even when it comes to saying goodbye. As the saying goes, „you always meet twice in life“, so it is important to „never burn your bridges“, and that applies to both sides. 

State your expectations openly and clearly state and explain the consequences. Then everyone knows where they stand and what is expected of them.

I always apply the 3-strike principle here: 

1st strike – once is never. We then reflect together on why the mistake happened and discuss how to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

2nd strike – reflect again and take measures, such as training, to ensure that the mistake really does not happen again. Also indicate what the consequence will be if the mistake happens again.

3rd strike – implement the consequence.