Comments on: Reader Success Story ~ Comfortable termination

By: Pam

Pam — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:14:08 +0000

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”.

By: BAM

BAM — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:55:14 +0000

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.

By: DianaR

DianaR — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:13:21 +0000

I like “Freeing up your future” — it’s a positive view of the situation. I like “liberated” even more.

By: Phoebe

Phoebe — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:02:06 +0000

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.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:51:20 +0000

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. =)

By: Sue Anne Azevedo

Sue Anne Azevedo — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:59:27 +0000

Using some form of “Career Transition” (sample: an opportunity for career transition) might work in some cases.

By: Lucretia Katz

Lucretia Katz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:43:53 +0000

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?

By: Lucretia Katz

Lucretia Katz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:37:57 +0000

Hi Janeen,
Yes, please do post your address. I’m certainly open to an exchange of ideas. Mine is lucretia_katz@yahoo.com.

By: A PowerPhrase A Week » Poison Phrase ~ Termination

A PowerPhrase A Week » Poison Phrase ~ Termination — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:41:32 +0000

[...] week’s success story was about a termination that went well. One commenter took issue with the [...]

By: merylrunion

merylrunion — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:41:50 +0000

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?