Employee dismissal Definition: Dismissal is the termination of any employees contract by him /her employer with or without notice,

including the ending of a fixed term contract without renewal on the same terms. (BTEC, 2000, p .no.537) Dismissal is the involuntary termination of an employees employment with a firm. Dismissal is the most negative disciplinary step manager can take. Dismal should only take place after all reasonable steps and the employee fails to perform the job in a proper way. However, there are undoubtedly times when dismissal is required. There are four bases for dismissal: unsatisfactory performance misconduct lake of qualification for the job changes requirements of the job

Unsatisfactory performance may be defined as persistent failure to perform the duties or to meet the standard of the job. Specific reasons include excessive absenteeism, regular failure to meet normal job standards, negative attitude towards the company, supervisor and fellow employees. Misconduct includes stealing and bad behavior Lake of qualification means that an employee unable to perform the job in a better way Change requirement of the job is an employees inability to do the work after the nature of the job is change. Many dismissal starts with bad hiring decisions. Using sound selection practice says include assessment test reference and background check, drug testing and clarity defined job description can reduce the need for many dismissals. Employee Exit Procedure The process by which an employee leaves an organization is known as employee exit procedure. The purpose of exit process is to: Examine the reason(s) why the employee has decided to leave the organization. Gather information, which may provide useful evidence to enable the organization to take appropriate action where particular and justifiable problems/issues of serious concern are identified by the employee.

 Give the employee and opportunity to comment on the different aspects of their post, duties and responsibilities. Gain information which may help with amending or updating the employees job description. Provide the organization with an insight into the responsibilities/duties of the post and where it fits in relation to the operational needs of the department. To ensure that findings are used to inform future training needs. (Wales.com Date accessed 15/05/08) EMPLOYEE EXIT PROCEDURE The exit procedure in organizations varies from organizations to organizations. The difference occurs due to many factors. It may depend on the size of the organization, product oriented or service oriented, the type of the business, whether it is government or private organization etc. However all the exit procedures generally follow the following steps. Step 1: Employee provides a written notice to his/her supervisor of intent to retire or resign. A specific period of time is given to this exit procedure depending upon the policy of the organization, before which employee can not resign and this is to ensure that the process is carried out with care and to that the employee can be provided with all pertinent information. Step 2: Supervisor further informs the HR department. Step 3: HR sends employee a Departing Employee Checklist and an Exit Questionnaire which he/she should complete and bring to the exit interview. Step 4: HR notifies MIS and Facilities Management of the employees last day of employment. Step 5: Employee schedules a meeting within the last days of his/her employment. Step 6: Supervisor meets with employee prior to termination to ensure exiting responsibilities have been met. Step 7: Employee completes and returns benefit continuation forms to Human Resources before the last day of employment.

Step 8: Employee must fulfill his/her exiting responsibilities as defined in the Departing Employee Checklist. Exit Interview The purpose of the exit interview is to provide feedback on why employees are leaving, what they liked or did not like about their employment and what areas of the organization they feel need improvement. Exit interviews are one of the most widely used methods of gathering employee feedback, along with employee satisfaction or exit surveys. Furthermore, exit interviews can result in the leaver having a more positive view of the organization. Done correctly, exit interviews are a win-win situation for both the organization and the leaver. The organization gets to retain a portion of the leavers knowledge and make it available to others, while the leaver gets to articulate their unique contributions to the organization and to leave their mark. Exit Questionnaire: The purpose of the questions which are asked in the exit interview is to get the inside perception of the employee about the job organization colleagues environment salary working conditions time which he spent in the organization recommendations to the organization etc The answers that come through these questions helps the management to analyze that how their employees feel about the organization, and what changes should be made to improve the different aspects of the job and it may also reduce the number of employees that leave the organization. Following is a set of questions which gives an idea that what type of questions organizations usually asks Exit Questionnaire Sample 1. What is the reason that you are leaving the organization? 2. What changes could have been made earlier which would have not created the situation for which you are leaving the organization? 3. What are your points of views about the organization? 4. What are the things you liked in the time which you have spent here? 5. What made you upset in the time which you have spent here? 6. Was there any responsibility which was not given to you and you thought that you might have done it better than others? 7. Were your capabilities and potential fully utilized by the organization?

8. Did organization review your performance for further training and development? 9. Was it easy for you to communicate with in the organization or your department? 10. What is the main reason you are joining the other organization? Departing Employee Checklist A normal departing employee checklist consists of the following things but it also varies from organization to organization. Office Keys Car keys ID Card (access card) Credit cards Department Equipment Parking permits Tools Reference manuals Library Materials Uniforms Travel Advance Accounts Communication systems: (pagers, radios, cell phones, etc.) Computers of any kind including related software and manuals Other(s) Benefits Of Handling Redundancy Well: Confident, secure workforce remaining Create space for career development Experience of good management is reinforced Good public standing Good press relations possible Customer confidence maximized Good employer brand Reduces conflict and misunderstanding Assists the process of change Ensures fair treatment Redundancy Definition: A worker is redundant when the contract of employment is ended by the employer because there is no longer sufficient work for the worker to do. Redundancy is not, therefore, the same as dismissal which results from poor performance or unsatisfactory behavior.

Redundancy occurs when the workers are no more needed because of a fall in demand or a change in technology. Redundancy may also happen if the firm is facing budget problem, the firm needs to reduce its work force. If redundancies are to be made then the company must ensure that the correct person or people should be redundant. Often the principle is last in first out. Many firms faced with having to lose some members of the work force will often try to do so by neutral wastage, i.e. that is by not replacing all or some of those who leave. However, invitation to leave is a high risk strategy because those who are easily employable else where are often the ones a firm needs to keep. THE CONCEPT OF REDUNDANCY IN ORGANIZATION One of the very important roles of management in the organization is to use the human resource at its best. Management is responsible for deciding how much human resource to keep and what strategies to use in order to gain maximum output through the use of workforce. If the management is capable enough to develop an effective strategy for managing human resources, the results would be that: Disruption to company performance will be minimized Job losses will be avoided or reduced Process of change will be eased An effective human resource planning helps the organizations to determine existing and future staffing needs. It is also good practice to provide appropriate information for individual employees. This is particularly important where there are no recognized trade union or employee representatives. What Is A Real Redundancy? Redundancy of an employee or group of employees is many times viewed as sort of termination of an employee. But in real redundancy of an employee and termination of an employee are two different concepts. Termination often occurs due to the fault of the employee or due to the end of the contracted period of the job. It may also occur because of the violence of the laws which were mentioned in the contract - conducted by the employee. Whereas, redundancy on the other hand occurs in a situation where both the organization and the employee are not at fault. In fact it is the critical situation in which the organizations have to take this step. Therefore employees are eliminated with honor and some tangible benefits. Following are some of the situations in which organizations are bound to go for redundancy. New technology has made your job unnecessary The job you were hired for no longer exists The need to cut the costs means staff numbers must be reduced The business is closing down The business is moving Insolvency of the business Poor manpower planning

 Falling demand for the product Redundancy Situations: Some of the situations which bounds organizations to go for redundancy are briefly explained below: The Need for the Worker Has Diminished or Ceased A redundancy situation may arise where a business continues to operate but there is no longer a need for the skills for which the employee was taken on. For example, a person employed as a skilled carpenter and joiner to help make racing yachts was made redundant when the employer changed the business to dinghies made from fiber-glass. The employer was still in the business of boat building, but he no longer needed the skills of a carpenter/joiner as the fiber-glass was molded. Redundancy may also arise if an employer reorganizes the business to improve its efficiency, so that fewer people are needed to do the same amount of work. New Systems in the Workplace You may be made redundant if a new process or system is introduced into the workplace which means that your job is unnecessary. The introduction of the new system or technology will not automatically mean that someone is made redundant. You will be redundant only if the new system is the direct cause of your work no longer needing to be done. Some new systems or technology may just enable the same job to be done differently, rather than creating a different job. There would then be no redundancy. The Job No Longer Exists Because Other Workers Are Doing the Work You may believe that you should not have been made redundant because the tasks you were doing still need to be done, but have been given to other people to do. The important point to note is whether the work which you were employed to do is still available for you to do. If it is no longer available, even if it is being done by other people, then your job no longer exists and you are therefore redundant. The Workplace Has Closed, or Is Closing Down The most common example of where someones work is no longer needed is where the business or part of the business has closed down or is closing down, whether temporarily or permanently. In these circumstances, where the workplace has closed down, the person will be redundant. The Business Moves In the case of a business moving, a redundancy will only arise if the employer has ceased or intends to cease to carry on the business in the place where the person was employed to work. Even if there is a clause in your contract which requires you to work anywhere the employer asks you to, you may still be redundant if the business moves. The Business Is Transferred To another Employer

Where a business is transferred from one employer to another, the transfer does not end the contracts of the people working for the business. They will retain the same terms and conditions of employment with the new employer. If you are made redundant in connection with a transfer, either by your old employer before the transfer takes place, or by the new employer after the transfer has taken place, the employer would have to show that there was a real redundancy and that the transfer was not the only reason (or the main reason) for the dismissal.

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR DEALING WITH REDUNDANCY

Natural Wastage The least painful way of shedding labor is allowing natural wastage to occur. This means not replacing staff as they leave. Unfortunately, natural wastage may be insufficient to produce the reduction in workforce sought by the organization. Voluntary Redundancy Shedding staff by voluntary redundancy is often the first resort of the employer. It is less painful and disruptive than compulsory redundancy. However, in the case of large scale shedding of labor it is unlikely to be sufficient and it might result in the loss of the more enterprising and valuable workers. Early Retirement The offer or enforcement of early retirement has similarities with voluntary redundancy except that it is targeted at the worker who is already close to retirement. Clearly is has advantages to both the individual and the organization but may result in the loss of experienced people. Compulsory Redundancy When voluntary solutions to the problem is excess staff are inadequate, the organization may be forced to resort to compulsory redundancy. Under the Employment Protection Act redundancy is a fair reason for dismissal provided there are adequate warning, consultation and compensation, and provided it is carried out fairly and on agreed lines. Last In First Out (LIFO) The most common method of selecting people for redundancy is last in, first out (LIFO), in which newcomers are dismissed before long serving employees. This is seen as fair, it reduces compensation payments, it enables the organization to retain experienced individuals and, since younger people are likely to go, it is less disruptive to individuals. However, LIFO has drawbacks in terms of an ageing workforce, and the absence of fresh blood. It is (indirectly) discriminating to women and suffers the basic defect that length of service does not necessarily coincide with particular skill, aptitude, enthusiasm or merit in the individual. Retention by Merit Retention by merit means that those who perform well are kept, while the less effective workers are made redundant. For an organization this has clear benefits but problems

arise in appraising performance and justifying the selection of those to be made redundant. For the employee dismissal on the basis will be seen as a personal failure, thus adding to the problem of being made redundant.