Counseling workers takes a strong attitude and a plan of action. If the company can afford it, you must offer a package to each employee which is better than your standard package. If you have an problem individual, you must address the problem and deal with it swiftly. After you have created your layoff notifications, call a meeting with all of your employees and let them know about the dismissal. It is essential to be appropriately prepared for the firing meeting as this is the step that is most generally used against employers when it comes to wrongful layoff lawsuits.

By following these general standards, you can create an effective termination memorandum. During such a naturally emotional time (for both you and the dismissed employee), it can be easy to forget something but a list will help to keep everyone on track. First, detailing violations of company policy tells the personnel you mean business. (Of course, when the small company already has policies and methods about layoffs, these supersede the list below.) (Certainly, when the company already has policies and methods about dismissals, these supersede the list below.) In my experience, many "not-so-smart" managers still go the "no-reason" or "stupid reason" route when dimissing a difficult employee. For example, the accounting worker falsified records because his boss ordered it. Her legal defender tells you the "real" reason you laid off her is because the company expected her to sleep with the CEO or the VP of manufacturing to keep her job. As a supervisor, you may hope to never have to write a worker dismissal letter. If your former worker decides to file a unlawful lay off suit, his lawyer may use your termination notice in the proceedings. Developing Guidelines for Employee dismissal.