Guidelines On Termination Letters Essay, Research Paper

Termination Letters

A type of “bad news message” which informs an employee that he is going to be terminated from his current job or position because of a particular reason.

Reasons for Terminating an Employee:

? Poor performance of the employee

? Insubordination

? End of Project

? Financial Crisis in the Company

? Closure of Department or Division

Do’s

1. Warn the employee beforehand – Make sure that the employee was given a warning that he may be terminated because of : his bad performance; or the financial condition of the company that may lead to the termination or lay-offs of its employees; closure of the department, etc.

2. Explain clearly and completely the reason for the termination – Be sure to state

clearly why he is being terminated. –For example, a) because of bad conduct. (Give the specific incident, its witnesses on the particular incident/s. b) financial problems (Tell them straight to the pint that the company is experiencing that problem). The words you use should be clear and understandable, not too broad like the words “difficult”, etc.

3. Make comments that will retain goodwill – Writer should not write harsh words

like “lazy”, just rephrase or use another better term for it. Remember that the employee should leave the relationship between the terminated employee and the firm as favorable as possible.

4. End with an encouraging note – Don’t dishearten the employee. Don’t state in

the letter that because of his bad performance for example, he will have a hard time getting a job.

5. Make suggestion in finding a job, if possible – Suggest companies where he can

apply for a job. This is also to encourage the reader of the letter.

Don’ts (Avoid)

1. Don’t mislead the reader – Don’t mislead the reader into thinking that the letter

contains good news at first.

2. Don’t use negative personal judgments – Don’t’ say anything rude based on your

own opinions.

3. Don’t use active voice – Active voice means that the subject is the doer of the

action. Avoid using this because it will sound really personal therefore it may sound harsh.

4. Don’t write anything that will cause the company to involve in legal action -

Don’t say anything that will damage the company’s reputation.