Guide
Prepare properly before the conversation
Get the practical and human details right before you sit down to let someone go.
Understand your obligations first
Notice periods, final pay, and required process differ significantly by location and employment terms. Confirm the specifics with a local employment lawyer or HR advisor before proceeding, this is not something to guess on.
Decide the practical details in advance
Final pay, equipment return, access removal timing, have these worked out before the conversation so you're not figuring it out live.
Plan what you'll actually say
Keep it brief, clear, and kind. A rambling explanation tends to invite debate; a short, respectful, final statement is usually better for everyone.
Think through the timing
Consider both the day and the setting, private, undisturbed, with enough time left in the day for them to process and leave with dignity.
That’s the whole thing.
Keep going
What to read next
- 01
Letting Someone Go
Know when it's time to let someone go
Recognise the signs that a role genuinely isn't working, rather than hoping it resolves itself.
- 02
Letting Someone Go
Have the conversation with care and clarity
Deliver difficult news directly and respectfully, without dragging it out or softening it into confusion.
- 03
Letting Someone Go
Handle the aftermath, for the team and for you
Manage what happens next, for the remaining team, the departing employee, and yourself.