3+ Pre-layoff Checklist Templates
Whether it is because of company finances hitting a new low or the employee has been performing too poorly, once you decide to lay off a person, you know that there is going to be a bit of resentment on the employee’s part. You may also see Checklist Samples.
However, you can avoid this as long as you follow proper procedures as well as make sure that you lay off the employee in a dignified and respectful manner. This article is going to focus on how to create a checklist templates of what you have to do before employee termination.
Checklist Template Bundle
Checklist Pre-Layoff Template
Checklist Pre-termination Template
Checklist Pre-layoff Template
Employee Pre-Termination Checklist Template
Preparing for the layoff notification meeting
As the name suggests, this is a meeting that an employer has with an employee prior to the end of his employment. You want to make sure that you plan everything out before you hold this meeting, to include the following notification meeting objectives on your checklist:
- To discuss with the professional employee in a concise, respectful, and compassionate manner that his duties are finished and that the employee and the company will now go their separate ways
- To protect both the company brand and employer brand to the general public and for future recruitment
- To reduce the negative impact on the employees who are leaving and on those employees who are still willing to stay with the company
Pre-notification meeting checklist
The following are all the things you must do before you discuss termination with the employee:
1. Depending on the knowledge that you have about the employee, it may be better if you have someone from Human Resources or even the employee’s direct supervisor take part in the meeting. Discuss with them any possible problems you feel could occur or any concerns you may have. Plus, having these people on board can be very helpful in justifying your claims on why the employee has to be terminated as they can provide proof should the employee be terminated due to continuous poor performance
2. You must be prepared to provide these employees with all of the necessary resources that will help them during the transition. You can provide the employee with links to career center resources or you can tell the employee that you are willing to write a reference letter which he can use in applying to other companies
3. Prepare a script as a guide. There might be a ton of things that you want to discuss with the employee so you may end up forgetting a lot of what you are supposed to share if you are not prepared. Use the script to practice everything that you want to say and how you are going to say it. You may also see resignation checklist templates
4. Be familiar with the circumstances that have led to the decision of the employee’s termination. The better you understand why the employee is going to leave, the better you will be able to explain the purpose of the staff meeting.
5. Prepare a message and script for both affected and unaffected employees. Know what you will say about the action being taken, the reason, and when and how it will happen. Doing this will allow you to deliver the message in a professional and consistent manner.
6. Prepare to address questions and any emotional reactions that come with a layoff meeting. While this may not be an easy meeting for you, the employee who is about to be terminated will not exactly be enjoying it, either. Try to think about all of the possible questions that the general employee may ask during the meeting as well as the answers that you have to provide. You have to make sure that the location of the meeting is somewhere private so that the two of you can discuss things in a more open manner.
7. Seek appropriate coaching from Human Resources and/or Employee Assistance Program Counselors. This should be done if you think that you are going to have a difficult time dealing with the employee during the effective meeting, or if you have no idea how to handle certain parts of the layoff process. You want to come into this meeting as the person who is in control, so the best thing that you can do is to get as much guidance as you can possibly obtain and understand what you have to do.
These are some of the most important things to remember when processing a layoff in your company. To read about other business topics, be sure to check out the articles in our archives.
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