As an employer, it is important to focus on working relationships, as this generates trust and, therefore, work motivation. Making sure that everyone on the team understands the organization’s mission, purpose and objectives is also very important. In short, be a leader who is with your employees through thick and thin, even when you have to go through the painful task of firing an employee…
Firing an employee while maintaining their work motivation:
As a manager or employer, it is very likely that you will fire an employee at some point in your career. Regardless of the person or the reason you have to let them go, it will always be a difficult decision that is followed by an uncomfortable and often emotional conversation. And that’s not always the hardest part. Once that employee leaves, you may be left with a group of discouraged and grieving workers who are concerned about their own job security. Sometimes, the emotional connections that form between workers can lead to great distress once one of them is laid off. So, it is worth asking the question: How to maintain the work motivation of the work team when one of them is fired?
A layoff, justified or not; always a serious impact on the tone of the office. Whether employees are on-site or remotely, employee morale can suffer negative effects quite significantly. And that’s just when good leaders and organizations need to get it right. How? By revitalizing the team after firing an employee.
Tips for maintaining work motivation after firing an employee.
Here are some fairly effective tips for increasing and maintaining employee work motivation after firing one of your co-workers:
Restore the company’s vision and long-term goals.
Do you want to maintain employees’ work motivation after a recent layoff? The best strategy is to reaffirm the company’s long-term vision, emphasize the brand’s values, promote the goals set and help them set their sights on the horizon for the future of the company and those who remain with it. A motivational speech, as corny as it may sound, may be the most viable option to improve the morale of the employees that accompany you. At the same time, clarify your vision of the future and the purpose of their work within the company.
Explain the reason for termination even legally
For legal reasons, it is best to proceed with caution when providing an explanation of why an employee was terminated. In some cases, it is not something that can or should be discussed publicly within an organization. But, if necessary, a cautious explanation of the employee’s fault or mistake that warranted termination can be given. Explaining to your employees the reasons why someone else was fired can make them feel secure about their position in the company.
As it turns out, taking your work group into account can help them achieve the work motivation you need to maintain in those moments. And this applies not only when firing one of your colleagues, but at all times. Therefore, it is very important to report the dismissal and, if the conditions apply, give the reasons that led to it. If the employee committed an infraction, others will be able to better understand that the reason was completely unrelated to bad decisions by the manager.
Remember…
Is it important to be honest about why the decisions were made and why the people who are left are still there? The answer is yes. And, to that end, you can provide a meeting so that employees can voice any concerns and the same message is communicated to everyone. Although, you may not be able to share many of the details regarding a particular situation. Since, you must protect the privacy of the terminated employee. However, you can provide opportunities for employees to express their concerns and have them clarified to maintain work motivation. In one-on-one meetings, ask open-ended questions to help employees identify what may be bothering them and focus on the contribution to the company and the team.
Maintaining work motivation is all about praising employees for their great work.
Letting employees who continue to work know that they are doing a good job can be an excellent strategy to achieve the work motivation that is needed at a time of dismissal of one of their colleagues. It is obvious that there are always people who do a great job, therefore, praising their work should not be alien to the situation, before, during or after a layoff. But, at times like this, praising that someone is on the right track in the performance of their duties can be quite motivating and reassuring. Remember, when one of your employees is laid off, others may feel that their job is at risk.
To maintain job motivation, up the ante to honor those who go above and beyond in your organization. This humanizes the business by demonstrating that, even under pressure, you respect and value those who care enough to do a great job.
In terms of work motivation: Treat the terminated employee as well as you can.
If you fired an employee and they left through no fault of their own, offer a good letter of recommendation, make sure that their time in your organization was worthwhile and that the experience will be fruitful and well received in their next job offerings. Treat them with respect, not only because they deserve it, but also because the way the situation was handled will affect existing employees. Being treated fairly can generate empathy for the person and the organization. Treating those who were terminated poorly will only anger existing employees.
It is highly likely that the employee who was terminated has friends who remain with the company and they are sure to hear about how he or she was treated. The word to remember is respect. Treat the departing employee with dignity and respect. This way, the rest of the staff will be less disgruntled. In addition, this will increase work motivation because it will make it clear that, even in a situation of dismissal, people are treated as they deserve.
José L. Meléndez CEO and co-founder of ChVmpion Mind, says:
“Very few people have great willpower to maintain healthy habits or to lead them towards great achievements, but very many people have enough talent to take giant steps, if only they would rely on methodologies such as ChVmpion Mind”
This makes us think that, in many cases, people or employees who end up being fired have been developing a previous process of decadence within the company. Either they felt demotivated and lost their love for the job; they do not feel valued and consider that the remuneration for their effort is too little or they feel tired and burned out in what they do.
Statistics show that:
- 62% of employees feel they need a salary increase.
- 37% would like to have greater recognition for their work performed.
- Approximately 27% would like to achieve a promotion in their job and growth within the company.
Whatever the case may be, before a dismissal there is a personal or work history that affects an employee’s performance in a negative way; leading to an imminent dismissal if certain habits, behaviors or erroneous procedures are maintained over time. It is worth asking the question: What happens to the employee who is not fully complying with his or her job? How can we as leaders change the situation and avoid dismissal?
ChVmpion Mind is the best solution to improve work motivation and avoid future layoffs. It offers a technological, scientific and, above all, human platform that helps to improve the performance and productivity of your employees.
