An employee can get terminated from his/her job for a wide variety of reasons. It can either be due to poor performance, incapacity to perform assigned tasks, gross misconduct, redundancy, or that the company is about to close due to bankruptcy. However, whatever the reason an employer might have for terminating an employee, it will always be a good idea to formally end the ties with the employee by making sure that a job termination letter has been handed to him/her. This way, the employee is made aware that the decision for termination is final, plus, he/she knows all the ins and outs that caused the decision.
Writing a basic termination letter can be quite a confusing and challenging task. But if you get it right, your employee will immediately understand why the decision was so. If you are having a hard time coming up with your own termination letter template to be used by your company, we are here to lend a helping hand. We have a few tips to share with you, as well as a few sample letters that can be used as a reference for when you are about to start writing your own letter. Just keep reading this article to find out more about termination letters and how to write these letters. Read on!
Job Abandonment Termination Letter
Job Contract Termination Letter
Employee Job Termination Letter
Job Termination Letter without Cause
Termination Letter for Poor Performance
Job Termination Letter for Cause
Job Termination Letter Template
Simple Job Termination Letter
Employee Job Termination Letter
Reasons for Terminating an Employee
Some of the most common reasons why an employee gets terminated from his/her job are the following:
- Constant tardiness and absences or attendance issues
- Incompetent
- Poor performance or low productivity
- Insubordination
- Criminal actions within the workplace
- Threatening other employees (blackmailing)
- Physical violence or threats of physical altercation
- Other reasons that can affect productivity or can affect the company’s reputation.
When it comes to stating the reasons in the letter, you have to make sure that you have documented proof such as incident reports, performance evaluation forms, warning letters, and daily attendance logs or sheet. If these proofs are secured, it would be easier for you to make your printable termination letter more solid. This helps to decrease doubt and makes the employee have a better understanding about what has caused the termination.
Writing a Job Termination Letter
When it comes to firing an employee, a termination letter should be provided for formality purposes even if you have already met with the employee regarding his/her termination from the company. The employment termination letter will be the document that serves as the confirmation of the termination and it also summarizes the all the information that your soon-to-be former employee needs to know.
Whether the reason for terminating an employee is due to his/her negligence with work or if it is due to the company’s incapacity to maintain his/her employment, letting go of an employee is an emotional roller coaster ride for the parties involved. We may not be able to make the emotions you are currently feeling a whole lot better but we can help make the letter-writing process a whole lot easier and smoother for you. Here’s how you can do so.
Employer-Employee Relationship
Determine whether the relationship you currently have with the employee is a contracted one or an at-will one. With contracted employments, you are required to abide by the termination process as stated in the employment agreement contract. Whereas for an at-will employment, there may not be a written and signed agreement but there is still need for you to be ethical and follow the state rules that is applicable to the state you are in, especially the federal anti-discrimination laws in your state.
Review the Contract
If you have determined that the employment relationship you have with the employee is a contracted one, then it is a going to be a good idea to actually review the contract samples you and the employee has signed. This is so that you are sure that you are not breaking any provisions stated under the termination section of the contract. The termination section of the contract is also the part where you will find the acceptable reasons for terminating an employee. So it is a good way of review if you can actually terminate the employee according to the reasons and documents that you currently have on hand.
Have Evidence
It is advisable that you gather all of the necessary documents that you need to have to ensure that the reasons for terminating the employee is valid.
- Review performance appraisals.
- Check if warning letters have been issued.
- Investigate the case and determine if the employee is indeed terminable.
Seek Legal Advice
There are a few laws and requirements that you may need to follow when it comes to firing an employee. If you feel that you need to seek the advice of your company lawyer, do so without any hesitation. After all, you do want to avoid dealing with any legal contract circumstances that could affect the reputation of your company.
Start Writing the Letter
You can start with the company letterhead or stationery if you have one available. Two lines after the letterhead, insert the date when you wrote the letter. You may also choose to write the phrase “Personal and Confidential” after the date but it depends on you if you want to include this in your letter. Two spaces after this statement samples or the date, write down the name of the employee you will be terminating.
Be Straightforward
In the first part of your letter, the employee should already be made aware as to why he/she is getting terminated. No need to envelope it in flowery words as this might confuse the employee. State the date when the employment contract is set to end. Make sure to make use of simple yet professional language and keep the tone empathetic.
State the Reasons of Termination
Mention everything that the employee needs to know. Be detailed as possible and do not leave out the important details. Again, flowery words and sugarcoating will not help in this situation.
For example, if the employee is being terminated for poor performance, his/her termination letters due to poor performance should be specific in stating that the company found his/her performance to be unsatisfactory and is not up to par with what the company needs.
Another instance, if the employee is being terminated due to the company’s bankruptcy, then the company should be transparent and tell the employee in the letter. It should also include compensation that is due to them if there is any.
Include Information about Final Paycheck
Let the employee contract know how much he/she will be getting for his/her final paycheck. Also include information about how the final check will be sent or if there is a need for him/her to pick it up in the office together with settling other matters.
One more thing you can discuss with them are the remaining leaves that they have unused. Let them know whether such leaves are convertible to cash or otherwise.
Return Company Property
If you have issued the employee items that are considered to be the company’s property, then you can politely ask them to return the items. Ask them to free their computers from personal profiles if there are any.
Give a Gentle Reminder about Non-Disclosure and Non-Compete Agreements
If the employee has signed a non-disclosure agreement and non-compete agreements, gently remind them of these. If the NDA and NCA are not issued as separate documents, review the contract if these can be found there.
Offer Recommendations
You may offer to write recommendation letters as well as reference letters should the employee need it for his next job search. You may also offer to help out with job placement assistance.
Close and Sign
Close the letter appropriately and do not forget to affix your signature as well. You may also provide a space where the employee can affix his/her signature to signify that he/she has understood everything stated in the disciplinary termination letter.
Letter of Job Termination in DOC
Confidential Termination Letter
Termination Letter for an Reason
Formal Termination Letter
Job Termination Letter for Current Position
Termination Letter for At-will Employment
Job Termination Letter for Gross Misconduct
Salesman Job Termination Letter
We hope that you learned a lot from reading our article. Do not forget to also check out the sample termination letters for the workplace that we have included in order to make your letter-writing more convenient.
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