Softening the Blow of Termination 

Nobody goes into business excited to fire their employees. How it’s supposed to work is, you carefully and methodically hire the right people, mentor them as they develop their skills to better their own careers and the success of the shop. Maybe some of them occasionally choose to move on to other things, but in general you’ve got the same core of employees keeping things humming along.  

This is usually the part where you wake up. 

No, business isn’t that easy. Whether it is for performance reasons or your business needs have changed, every business owner is going to need to fire someone eventually. Firings are contentious — even when both sides know what is coming, it is hard to separate from the emotional side of it. There isn’t much you can say that’s going to make your employee happy about the situation. But by being clear, sticking to the facts, and supporting them as applicable after the fact, you can do what you can to soften the blow. 

“You try to take the emotions out of it,” says Christy Jones, a former shop owner herself and owner of Clarity Business Coaching. “And just say, OK, this is my business, I have to be making business decisions that are best for my business. And these are the steps that I need to take in order to do that.” 

The Problem 

There is no handbook for how to fire someone; no two situations nor people are identical. But there is a handbook for your shop — or, at least, there should be. Every shop should have a handbook which plainly lays out both the policies that employees are required to follow and also the consequences for not following them and the processes by which they may be terminated. Jones strongly advises every shop to have a strong, enforceable handbook, written with the help of an attorney or HR professional, as this book often forms the basis for termination. 

“We’re all human, right? There’s always going to be some different circumstances or situations where something’s going to change, but [a handbook] gives the shop owner the option of saying, well, no, this takes the emotion out of it. If you can have these disciplinary steps written down in a process, that’s really what I think the main thing is.” 

But even shop owners who have done everything by the book may still find it hard to go through with a firing. There’s a technician shortage, after all. Once they let that employee go, there’s no timetable for their replacement. And who knows if that replacement will work out? The hesitancy owners feel is in part from trying to avoid the firing process. But a little preparation and care goes a long way. 

The Solution 

How you handle a firing is situationally dependent, Jones says. If it’s for disciplinary or performance reasons, then the key there is to make sure it isn’t a surprise, i.e., the employee should have been given an opportunity to correct their performance, an official warning through the policies of the handbook, etc. “And there's really no softening of that,” she says. 

But other times, you may have a need to make a change in structure or a downturn in business that necessitates letting someone go. And here too, there isn’t a lot you can do in the moment to turn a negative into a positive — someone has just lost their job and can’t really see any silver linings. So as the shop owner or operator, it’s your job to provide what you can, and that is clarity in communication. 

“There’s really not a whole lot you can do other than just kind of communicate the whys and being respectful of their feelings,” Jones says. “And making clear that you're not firing them or removing them for disciplinary reasons.” 

Jones says that when she has had to do firings, she has done some practice first. You might consider writing down the general reasoning behind the termination, and then practicing how you want to deliver that message. The content of your message should be around context, Jones says. Stick to matters of “facts, not feelings,” and that the conversation should not become a debate. You as the business owner have made this decision, this is why, and here’s what the next steps are. 

This conversation should be as brief as necessary to deliver these messages, says Jones, as you don’t want to belabor the point or embarrass the employee. They should be allowed to leave quietly without having to see their former co-workers if they choose not to. This can be tricky with technicians who have tools to pick up, but those arrangements can be made later. If you and the employee are parting on good terms, at least from your perspective, and you would give them a recommendation or a reference, that’s something you can offer to leave a positive impression.  

“There are opportunities for you as an employer to help out after; you can be a reference,” Jones says. “You can help them find a job. You can give them a stipend of some sort. There are a lot of different ways that you can soften the blow when it comes to the different types of firings.” 

The Aftermath 

The now-ex-employee isn’t the only person you might need to worry about softening the blow for; you also have a team of their former co-workers who now might be a little on edge. They might be wondering if they might be next, or if there is going to be more work on their plates. You don’t need to get into the details or violate the privacy of the departed employee, but you should try to be honest and up front about what’s happened and how it affects the rest of the team. This is also a good time to review the handbook as necessary. 

“Let’s ask ourselves, ‘How can we have better performance in our jobs?’” Jones says. “What are some things that we can do to be a better technician, to be a better painter, to be a better detailer? It’s a good learning opportunity.” 

It’s also a good time for some introspection from management. If there was anything that came up in the firing that might need addressing, see if there are any policies that need changing, or additional training. “Handbooks can be changed all day, every day,” reminds Jones. 

The Takeaway 

Firing is one of the greatest responsibilities that business owners have. They must not only do right by the business but also remember people’s humanity and treat everyone responsibly. When receiving difficult news, an employee may not be in a position to accept kindness, but you can do right by them by being direct, clear, and offering to help going forward if you’re able. 

And you can do that more easily by being prepared. Ensure your handbook is up to date, do everything by the book and by the law, and you’ll be on your way to delivering bad news in as good a way as such news can be given. 

“Just like onboarding, you need to have a plan,” Jones says. “Offboarding has a plan, too.”