Employers need to handle terminations the right way because it will not only help separated employees make the best of a bad situation, but it also will calm the nerves of their co-workers who didn’t get the ax plus salvage public opinion of the organization, according to Dr. Richard Bayer, chief operating officer of The Five O’Clock Club, a job coaching and outplacement company.

“Implement layoffs and you’ll quickly find yourself in the public spotlight,” said Bayer. “If it appears you aren’t treating these employees properly, consumers will think twice before buying from you again, and the best talent will think twice before applying for a job with you later. You must terminate employees with dignity, or your actions will come back to haunt you.”

A survey conducted by The Five O’Clock Club shows many human resource professionals aren’t using the right protocol when laying off employees, according to a media release from Bayer’s publicist. More than 80 percent of the human resource professionals surveyed were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the way employees were let go. But they also reported that in the exit interview, when discussing job performance, they gave positive feedback only 11 percent of the time.

“Such termination policies will not stand in a society where employees stick with employers for smaller and smaller amounts of time and when a negative word can spread through the Internet in a matter of minutes,” said Bayer. “In order to attract the best and brightest employees, companies must learn to terminate employees with dignity, now when things are bad, and continue those practices in better times. The same care that is taken when hiring an employee should be taken when letting someone go.”

According to the media release, here are a few tips from the staff at The Five O’Clock Club.

Put your policy in writing. Because preparedness is vital, termination procedures must be embedded in a written policy and, over time, instilled in the organization’s culture, said the release.

Train your managers in the realities of human hurt. When people are going through a termination process, great sensitivity is required, the release continued.

“Organizations have long trained managers to improve their hiring and interviewing skills. This enables them to be more astute in selecting candidates and more aware of legal pitfalls. The same degree of training should be given to managers for the hard task of letting people go,” Bayer said.

Develop positive scripts that help people keep their dignity. Carefully prepared (though flexible), positive scripts are indispensable to the separation process, says the media release.

“Saying a nice word plays a critical role in helping people keep their dignity,” said Bayer. “The lack of kind words eats at people and erodes morale. The guiding norm, at the very least, should be ‘to do no harm.’ In a downsizing or merger, it is easier to assure people this is a no-fault situation, but even here self-esteem can take a beating, and positive scripts are essential.”

Be upfront about why this is happening. Whether a person is being let go because of job performance or because the company is making layoffs, he or she likely will ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

Assure your employees that you’ll be a good reference for them. Since the primary rationale for termination with dignity is to empower the employee and enable her to move ahead with her life, letting her know you’ll put in a good word for her when a future employer calls for a reference can play a crucial role.