When terminating employees, here’s what not to do during that process:
- Take your anger out on him/her.
- Fire him/her for something another employee or employees did.
- Keep no records or proof.
- Discuss employees shortcomings with other employees.
- Leave confidential employee information in the reception area.
- Assume that your supervisors know and follow the rules.
- Tolerate employees using race, sex or age-based remarks.
- Give a great reference to a problem employee.
- Sugarcoat your evaluations to avoid hurting an employee’s feelings.
- Tell a long-term employee with a performance problem that he or she ought to consider retirement because he or she is getting on in years.
- Snoop into employees private lives for no reason.
- Ignore problems until you absolutely must deal with them.
Source: Paul Heylman, Schmeltzer, Aptaker & Shepard, Washington, D.C., July 1998.