Manager strategies for coping with emotions during employee layoffs

¶ … correlate with coordinating and heading a dismissal meeting for an employee layoff. This essay will propose methods and means of coping with the negative emotions that accompany such transitions and offer helpful measures to conduct such a meeting. This essay will also include the compensation issues that also accompany dismals such as in this case. To help best understand the situation at hand, the effects of this layoff will also be discussed and ways to mitigate the possible negative effects during such events.

Coping With Dismissal

Managing Information

The act of dismissing an employee for human resources professional is a challenging procedure in many different ways. Change and transformation in large scale events is usually accompanied with great stress and unease. The entire company will feel the impacts of this decision so it is of the utmost importance to conduct termination or dismissal meetings with professionalism, empathy and good will.

Information control before the meeting allows the exchange to be performed in a smoother manner. Rumors and bad information may cause unintended consequences throughout the company, and it is necessary to have a firm grip on the flow of this data. While secrecy is not something that needs to be used often in the workplace, this is an instance where keeping others in the dark will protect those who may be worried and in doubt of their own contributions towards the organization.

Termination Effects

To best manage this human resources issue, it is important to grasp the after effects of dismissing an employee. Understanding that this process is truly a human endeavor, reason, empathy and compassion should be used at all times. Finnie & Sniffin (1984) wrote " since change is inevitable, we must learn to expect it, even encourage it, and treat it positively. Planning is essential. Initially, a termination team should be developed including the departing individual's supervisor, the responsible personnel administrator, the most senior level individual, in the organization, or most respected representative and an outplacement consultant if appropriate."

Planning a termination meeting will set the circumstances for a productive meeting and mitigate some of the negative consequences of the engagement. The inclusion of the aforementioned personnel allows a sense of fairness and balance to the one being terminated or dismissed. This practice is useful because it helps provide a level of support for the one being dismissed and allows a closure that included those who were involved in the process from the beginning.

Legal Issues

In this day and age, employment litigation issues pose a great risk to organizations who practice unlawful dismissal procedures. Some primary laws must be considered when conducting such events. The Americans with Disabilities Act disallows employees from firing anyone from employment based on disability. The term "disability' is very vague and poses a problem for human resources professionals because humans are inherently disabled in one fashion or another.

The best approach in addressing this issue is to ensure that the necessary documentation is gathered to present a reasonable and sound case for dismissal that was not based on any particular disability. This same precaution should also be used in considering other laws including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Age Discrimination Act. Title VII presents another legal challenge to human resources professionals as this law disallows employing organizations from firing a person based on race, color, religion, gender or national origin. In this very divisive and race-based society, it is important once again to present a well documented case of employee failure and to avoid such legal tangles.

Meeting Process

An ordered and well-rehearsed meeting process is prescribed to help human resources professionals complete a dismissal meeting that is ethical, reasonable, economical and serves both the employer and the employee.

1. Ensure security is in place before the meeting begins to ensure any disgruntled reactions to be satisfactorily addressed. A escorted route of exit should also be designated to mitigate such risk.

2. Retrieve and gather all employer owned property from the employee such as keys and ID badges.

3. Have the employee's file on hand before conducting the interview.

4. Prepare the financial compensation issues beforehand and have them ready.

5. Prepare a termination packet that should include a termination letter. This letter should include information pertaining to the date of termination, final payment information.

6. Benefits summary should also be documented for the employee and should information containing any employer based investments such as 401k and health insurance information.

7. Unemployment benefits and health care benefits should also be explained to the employee to assist in the transition.

8. During the meeting explain clearly the reasons for the termination and allow the employee to speak and interpret the events as well. It is important to respect the terminated employee's dignity but it is also needs to be communicated that the decision is final.

9. Conclude the meeting and escort the employee out of the building.

Managing the After Effects