March 28, 2008Reader Success Story ~ Comfortable termination
I am a member of a non-profit agency’s board of directors. As a board, we recently faced the unpleasant reality of having to terminate the agency’s executive director. And, since I am viewed as the tough-minded, thick-skinned member of the board, I was “elected” to be the bearer of bad news (at least, from the director’s point of view, it was bad news).
Nobody expected the termination meeting to go well. However, I consulted the Perfect Phrases for Termination section of your book “Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors” and followed your excellent advice, nearly to the letter. And, you guessed it, the meeting went better than everyone expected.
I simply stated that the board had come to a decision to move the shelter in a new direction and that the director’s services would no longer be required, effective immediately. I thanked her for her years of service and requested that she remove her personal belongings. I also made it clear that the matter was not open to further discussion or argument. Understandably, she was upset, but not openly emotional or argumentative. We then adjourned the meeting…quick, clean, and everybody’s dignity was preserved.
Now, our agency is headed in a new, more positive direction. The toxic environment of the work place is greatly improved. And, the public served by the agency has already noticed the numerous changes taking place.
Thank you, Meryl, for all your good work. You have made my life easier and have assisted our agency in becoming a more respected force in our community.
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Comfortable Termination
I am also involved with a non-profit board for a shelter in Baltimore MD and would appreciate an opportunity to learn more about the positive changes you are making within your organization. Please let me know if you’re interested in making a connection and I’ll post my email address.
Comment by Janeen McLean — April 2, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
While I congratulate you on dealing successfully with a difficult problem,I’m a little taken aback by the “instant removal”. I believe it is shabby treatment to let people go without notice, especially if they’ve been with an organization for a period of years. Unless this was volunteer work,I wonder whether she can support herself and cover health care costs. You didn’t mention any severance pay or unemployment benefits in your posting. My concern grows if this person is supporting a family.
Comment by Phoebe — April 2, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
I just finished reading Comfortable Termination and I am happy to hear the agency is moving forward in a more positive direction. It sounds as if the executive director had reached a very stressful point in her position and the stress was starting to affect her health. Maybe your “bad news” was of great relief to her. Sometimes we get stuck and don’t know what to do.
I also understand sometimes we can be faced with a very difficult work environment, however, I find that as a society we have forgotten how to treat one another as fellow human beings. I have to honestly say that I feel terminate is a very strong word. What other word could we use in its place?
Comment by Tammy — April 2, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Phoebe, I had the same thought, but I do give my readers the benefit of any doubt - especially when the results prove positive to all involved. In How to Say it Performance Reviews I emphasize that there should be no surprises in performance reviews and in Perfect Phrases for Mangers and Supervisors, I make it clear that there should not be surprises in termination either. I always recommend people be given any chance to make things right.
And, Tammy, you’re so right about the word termination. I don’t have a replacement word that doesn’t sound euphemistic. I like “freeing up your future,” but it’s not practical.
Thoughts?
Comment by merylrunion — April 6, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
[...] week’s success story was about a termination that went well. One commenter took issue with the [...]
Pingback by A PowerPhrase A Week » Poison Phrase ~ Termination — April 8, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
Hi Janeen,
Yes, please do post your address. I’m certainly open to an exchange of ideas. Mine is lucretia_katz@yahoo.com.
Comment by Lucretia Katz — April 10, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
To follow up on the use of the word “termination”…rest assured that the word was never used during the meeting. But, yes, it does put one in mind of being hunted down by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the Terminator movies. However, I don’t like Donald Trump’s “you’re fired” either. What is a better term or phrase to use?
Comment by Lucretia Katz — April 10, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
Using some form of “Career Transition” (sample: an opportunity for career transition) might work in some cases.
Comment by Sue Anne Azevedo — April 10, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
Meryl, Thanks for the response! I really appreciate it. I am learning a lot from your newsletters!
Regarding “Termination” maybe we should create a new phrase.
Lucretia made a great point! I totally agree with her regarding Trump’s “You’re Fired”. It seems so insensitive and so dismissive of one’s feelings.
One term or phrase we used at my previous employer was “onboarding and offboarding”. This was a term I was comfortable with.
We had interviewed applicants in search of my replacement. Listed on one of the applicants resume as previous duties were among many, HIRING AND FIRING”. Needless to say we decided not to onboard her. =)
Comment by Tammy — April 10, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
The Human Resources manager left her job, where I worked some
years ago, and used the term “Separation” to state
she was leaving the corporation.
Comment by Phoebe — April 11, 2008 @ 8:02 am
I like “Freeing up your future” — it’s a positive view of the situation. I like “liberated” even more.
Comment by DianaR — April 11, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Regarding the above comments on the harshness of the termination and the use of the word itself:
Making the decision to terminate an employee is never an easy one. Once that decision is made, in most cases, it’s best to make a clean break. Allowing an employee to linger when s/he knows that s/he isn’t wanted can be toxic to an organization. It encourages others to linger over the decision rather than focus on keeping operations running - much like ripping off a bandage vs. s-l-o-w-l-y pulling it back as it rips out hairs one by one.
I totally agree that a severance package and/or outplacement packages are a wonderful option to help ease the blow - but the unfortunate reality is that it’s not always financially possible.
If you run the termination meeting with the focus on treating the departing employee with dignity and respect - you’ll get the best possible outcome.
As for the word “termination,” I can understand that it feels unpleasant. That’s because it IS unpleasant. Remember, we’re looking for ways to “mean what we say,” not sugar-coat so that the message is lost. If you went to the doctor and had cancer, for example, you’d want to know your true diagnosis - not hear, “Well, you have a little issue with your blood, but don’t worry.”
In order to communicate effectively, we need to choose words that convey the true meaning - without being unnecessarily harsh.
I don’t like “you’re fired!” obviously. Howver, telling someone that their employment has been terminated, rather than saying the PERSON has been terminated, takes some of the “it’s personal” bit out of it while still conveying the correct message.
Comment by BAM — April 11, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Maybe this is a cultural difference (I am not from and don’t live in North America), but I don’t think termination sounds harsh at all. It’s just a pure statement of fact - it’s the end of something - in this case someone’s employment. The only alternative I can come up with is “dismissal”.
Comment by Pam — April 12, 2008 @ 9:14 am