University of Kwazulu-Natal

How To Fire Someone Professionally Scripts Reasons Laws

Bonisiwe Shabane
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how to fire someone professionally scripts reasons laws

Firing an employee is one of the hardest parts of management, but it is also one of the most important to do correctly. Research shows that 65% of employees who were let go felt their manager handled it poorly, while many supervisors admit they felt guilt after the process. This shows that many organizations struggle with how to fire someone in a professional and respectful way. The cost of mishandling an employee termination can be very high, but knowing how to fire someone properly can help employers minimize risks, maintain the employee’s dignity, and protect workplace morale. Here are practical steps on how to fire someone professionally, including sample scripts to guide the conversation, valid reasons for termination, and the key laws employers need to follow. Before firing an employee, you need to make sure the reason is valid and well-documented.

Firing someone without proper cause can lead to legal issues or claims of unfair treatment. Incompetence, such as low productivity or poor quality of work Terminating employees is challenging. However, a script can make the process easier. You can use this information to have a better conversation with the employee. This works whether it’s your first termination or you want to ensure you’re saying the right things.

Before you have the official conversation to terminate an employee, you want to prepare accordingly. Employee termination shouldn’t happen suddenly. You want to have a paper trail of performance evaluations, performance improvement plans, written warnings, and other similar actions to highlight the actions taken leading up to the termination. This includes digital documentation such as emails, chat logs (e.g., Slack or Teams), and HRIS records. Ensure all records are securely stored and accessible for legal review if needed. Not only does documenting everything give your employees a chance to improve if they’re able and willing to, but it also protects you if there’s a question about the reason behind the termination.

Effective July 1, 2025, additional protections are available for workers when employers use immigration-related threats to discourage or retaliate against the usage of certain workplace rights. While Washington is an at-will employment state, employers cannot fire or retaliate against an employee who exercises a protected right or files a complaint under certain employment laws. State law gives employees protection in the following areas: Depending on the situation, L&I will investigate your complaint or refer you to the appropriate agency. You may have additional rights against termination or retaliation under a collective bargaining agreement, in your employer’s policies, or under federal law. However, L&I does not have enforcement authority in these areas.

At-will employment means that employers do not need to establish cause or give notice before firing an employee. That being said, it is against the law for an employer to fire or retaliate against an employee for discussing or filing a complaint about a violation of their protected rights. Take our short assessment to find out if PEO or HR Plus may be the best fit for your business. Our interactive ROI-estimate calculator helps you explore how much a PEO could reduce your HR costs. Rising tariffs don’t have to sink your business. Discover how SMBs can turn trade disruptions into growth opportunities through market diversification, dynamic pricing, and nearshoring strategies.

Discover which benefits employees value most. Download TriNet’s benchmark report with insights from 1,000+ small business employers and employees. This experience goes beyond networking; offering exclusive research, thought-provoking dialogue, and shared best practices among a carefully curated group of peers; helping investors protect and scale Firing someone is one of the toughest parts of being a manager — and one of the most important to get right. Done poorly — it can create confusion, damage your team’s morale, or even expose your company to legal risk. Done well — it shows leadership, protects your culture, and sets clear expectations for performance and behavior.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to fire someone professionally. Firing someone is a difficult decision — but sometimes, it’s the right one for the health of your team and business. Knowing the valid grounds for termination and how to fire an employee with professionalism and empathy is key. Master the art of employee termination with our guide on creating respectful and legally compliant scripts. 6 min read updated on December 28, 2024 Whether you are a business owner, a manager at a company or a HR professional, one of the most challenging tasks that you may face in the workplace is firing an employee.

Thankfully, there are effective employee termination scripts that you can use to respectfully part ways with an employee. In this guide, you will find the best practices for terminating employees–starting from legal compliance to ready-to-use scripts for having the termination meetings and conversations. It’s never easy telling an employee that their services are no longer needed, no matter what the circumstances. Sometimes, you may have to terminate an employee for reasons beyond your control–such as if the company has to downsize due to profitability issues or economic decline. Sometimes, you may have to fire an employee for poor performance or for not complying with your company’s rules and regulations. Regardless of the reason, employee termination is a sensitive issue with serious consequences for both the employee being fired, as well as the manager or HR professional who has to deliver the news.

Below are some common challenges–some legal, some emotional–that you may face when terminating an employee. Firing someone is never easy, but handling it with empathy and professionalism can protect your business and support your team. Stay updated on more business management tips—sign up for the Jobber Newsletter. Join here. Originally published in August 2024. Last updated on September 23, 2025.

In an ideal world, every hire you make is perfect, and you always have enough work to go around. Unfortunately, if you’re in business long enough, chances are, you’ll have to let a staff member go eventually, either due to customer complaints, no-shows, or an empty schedule. What matters most in these situations is handling employee terminations with professionalism and respect. What is an Employer of Record How to hire globally with an EOR What is a Global PEO An alternative to EOR Our Methodology Why you can trust our guides

Hire Globally Find international talents Outsource Recruitment How to outsource recruitment Mike has extensive experience in sales, marketing, and product strategy; organizational and team development; and business growth and operations. He's held various senior leadership positions in the technology industry, and in 2016 participated as a lead member of the deal team responsible for the sale of Point Grey Research to FLIR Systems for... Mike is guided by his deeply-held beliefs in connection, curiosity, humour, empathy, and honesty. Since leaving the corporate world in 2018, he's provide fractional executive and growth and strategic planning advisory services that have helped several early stage companies mature, grow responsibly, and live true to their values.

Use this guide to stay on the right side of compliance, prepare remaining team members, and minimize the stress and trauma when ending someone's employment. Ending someone’s employment is never easy. As someone who’s had to fire employees myself, I know that it’s one of the hardest, most emotional, and most stressful responsibilities leaders and small business owners can have. Depending on the circumstances, it can also be a complex situation. The goal of this article is to demystify the employee termination process and minimize stress and trauma for everyone involved.

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