“Is the 30th my last day of work, or the date my employment ends? And who do I ask for paperwork once I lose access to company email?” If the manager can’t answer either question, the employee leaves the room having to chase down the details while they’re still taking in the news.
Once the decision to terminate employment has been made, state it and give the effective date up front, leave time for questions, and provide details the employee can read later. For anything still being verified, such as a payment or a benefits end date, name the person who will check it and say when they’ll respond.
In my article on Hire Slow, Fire Fast, I wrote about discussing performance early enough to do something about it. This piece starts later, after a termination decision has been reviewed and approved. How can a manager tell someone what’s happening and leave them a way to ask questions afterward? LHH Thailand recommends having the direct manager deliver the news privately, with HR there to help answer questions about benefits and next steps. LHH Thailand’s guidance on termination conversations (in Thai)
Agree on the details with HR before the meeting
Suppose an ERP system is live and the company has decided to eliminate a project consultant position and transfer ongoing support to an internal team. Before scheduling the conversation, the manager and HR check that the reason matches the facts and documentation. They confirm the employment end date and the last working day, and agree on who will handle payments, paperwork, and questions they can’t answer in the room.
For employment in Thailand, review the employment agreement, work rules, and the law that applies to the particular case before communicating the decision. Check any notice, payment, or procedural requirements that apply. Thailand’s Department of Labour Protection and Welfare lists contact options for questions about employment rights. Department of Labour Protection and Welfare contact information
Have the manager explain the decision and its reason, with HR there to explain the paperwork and answer questions. Book a room where the conversation can’t be overheard, allow time for questions, and arrange ERP support coverage in advance. Share employment details only with the people who need them for their role.
State the decision, then give the employee time
This fictional conversation is about a position being eliminated after an ERP launch. In another case, use the reason the facts support.
Manager “The company has decided to end your employment, effective November 30. Now that the ERP system is live, we’re eliminating the project consultant position and transferring support to the internal team.”
Employee “Do I still come to work on the 30th? And how will I get my paperwork?”
HR “Your last working day is November 27. Both dates are in this document, and we’ll give you a copy today. Let’s also confirm which personal email address we should use for any documents issued later.”
After delivering the news, pause. The employee may sit quietly, ask for a break, or ask about money first. If you can’t answer something, note the question, say who will check it, and agree on a time to respond. If they raise a fact the company may have missed, such as a written transfer approval that wasn’t reviewed, pause the steps that depend on it while HR checks what happened.
Give them something they can refer to later
Give the employee documents or a summary they can keep. If they’ll lose access to company email, agree on a channel they can still use and use it appropriately to send any documents issued later.
| What the employee needs to know | What to put in writing |
|---|---|
| Dates and paperwork | The last working day, the employment end date, which documents they have received, and how they’ll get anything still pending. |
| Pay and benefits | Relevant payments, confirmed amounts and payment dates, the status of benefits, and when to expect answers on any outstanding items. |
| Equipment and follow-up | What to return, where and when to return it, whom to contact about pay or paperwork, and how to reach them after company email access ends. |
If job search support or counseling is available, explain when it starts and how to access it. Follow up when promised on any questions you took away, even if all you can confirm by then is what’s still outstanding.
Tell the team who’s taking over the work
Brief the people taking over after you’ve spoken with the employee. In this example, tell the warehouse and finance teams that internal support will handle inventory discrepancies starting December 1, the project lead will pick up pending approvals, and new issues should go through the designated support channel. Keep the reason for termination and details about pay with the people responsible for handling them.
The project lead should check that each open issue has an owner, the team can find the project files, and someone can approve work once system permissions change. Ask the person taking over to open the records they’ll need before the handover. That will show you whether a file or a permission is missing while there’s still time to sort it out.
Before ending the meeting, I’d point out where the details are written down and repeat who to contact, how to reach them, and when to expect a reply. The employee shouldn’t have to remember everything they heard in the room.