How does dismissal affect employees and teams? Psychology-based advice for employers on preparing for the meeting, delivering the news and the aftermath.
Economic contraction, cost pressure, automation, restructuring or individual performance problems... Whatever the reason, dismissal is one of the hardest moments in working life, both for the person losing their job and for the manager carrying out the decision. Depending on how it is carried out, the same decision can leave a wound in an employee's life that is hard to heal, or it can be a difficult but dignified transition. What is more, the process affects not only the person leaving but also the remaining team, the company's reputation and future recruitment. In this article, for employers, HR managers and team leaders, I look at the psychological dimension of dismissal, how to prepare for the meeting, and what to pay attention to when delivering the news and afterwards. The article offers a psychological and managerial perspective; for the termination procedure, notice periods, severance pay and other legal matters you must consult an employment law specialist.
Why Is the Psychological Impact of Dismissal So Great?
For most people, a job is not only a source of income. It also carries the structure of the day, social relationships, identity, a sense of self-worth and plans for the future. For this reason, many people experience losing their job as a loss and a grieving process. Common reactions include:
- Shock and denial: "This can't be happening, I must have misunderstood."
- Anger: Intense anger directed at the company, the manager or oneself.
- Shame and guilt: "How will I tell my family?", "It happened because I wasn't good enough."
- Anxiety: Intense worry about rent, loans, the children's school costs and finding a new job.
- Low mood: Changes in sleep and appetite, lack of motivation, hopelessness about the future.
In the Turkish context, it is worth seeing that this burden may be even heavier. According to Gallup's 2026 report, 66% of employees in Turkey say they experienced stress during much of the previous day, and only 23% say it is "a good time to find a quality job" (Gallup, 2026; 2025 data). In an environment where the cost of living is high, the job market is perceived as uncertain and many employees also support their extended families, losing a job can become not only an individual but a family crisis. For more on the emotional process of loss, you can read the article on the grieving process.
What a Badly Handled Dismissal Costs the Organisation
Many managers think that once the decision to dismiss has been made the job is "done". Yet how the decision is carried out has long-lasting consequences for the organisation:
- Remaining employees' trust is shaken. An employee who sees how a friend was shown out of the door thinks, "One day they'll do this to me too." This lowers commitment and can increase quiet withdrawal and intention to leave.
- Productivity falls. After the process, corridor talk, uncertainty and anxiety make it hard to concentrate on work.
- The employer's reputation is damaged. Bad experiences spread quickly by word of mouth on social media, in the industry and in small towns.
- The risk of legal disputes rises. A person who feels humiliated and wronged is more likely to turn to legal remedies.
According to an analysis in the UK, about 40% of turnover costs are attributed to mental health problems, and 28% of employees had left their job in the past year or plan to leave in the coming year (Deloitte UK, 2022). These figures are specific to the UK, but they clearly show the link between employee wellbeing, trust and staff turnover. I look in detail at the reactions seen in employees who remain after downsizing in the article on survivor syndrome.
Before the Decision to Dismiss: The Preparation Stage
A humane process begins long before the day of notification. In the preparation stage, these steps are important:
- Clarify the legal framework. Get an opinion from an employment law specialist on matters such as the type of termination, notice periods, rights and documents. Psychologically too, uncertainty and incorrect information are among the biggest sources of anxiety in the process.
- Make the reasoning for the decision clear and consistent. The reasons given to the person leaving and to the remaining team should be the same. Contradictory explanations erode trust quickly.
- Review the history in cases based on individual performance. Was the employee given clear feedback before? Was support offered for development? Dismissal should not be the first moment at which a problem that was never discussed is raised.
- Decide who will hold the meeting. It is usually recommended that the direct manager and an HR representative be present together. The manager represents the relationship, and HR the knowledge about the process and rights.
- Prepare the manager. It is natural for the manager who will hold this meeting to feel anxiety, guilt and sadness too. The meeting can be rehearsed; likely questions and reactions can be discussed beforehand.
- Prepare the practical information. The last working day, the handover of personal belongings, information about documents and payments, and any support available should be ready in writing.
Timing matters too. Avoiding giving notice just before a religious holiday, on the employee's birthday or on days when they have suffered a personal loss is a small but meaningful courtesy. Last-minute notification on a Friday evening can leave the person alone with their questions and anxiety all weekend.
How Should the Notification Meeting Be Held?
The notification meeting should be short, clear, respectful and humane. In practice, these principles help:
1. Choose a calm, private setting. Settings such as an open-plan office, a corridor, a phone call or a message are not suitable. For someone working remotely, a video call should be preferred.
2. Get to the point quickly. Talking about everyday matters in a long introduction raises the person's anxiety and may later make them feel deceived. State the decision clearly within the first few sentences.
3. Say that the decision is final. Leaving the decision ambiguous ("Perhaps it will be reconsidered in the future") creates false hope and prolongs the process. If the decision is final, say so kindly but clearly.
4. Explain the reasoning briefly and honestly. Do not defend the reasoning at length or get drawn into argument. In a downsizing for economic reasons, it is important to say clearly that it has nothing to do with the person's worth.
5. Make room for the reaction. The person may cry, get angry or fall completely silent. Do not try to suppress or correct these reactions. Saying "I know this is very hard news" is enough.
6. Give the practical information in writing. A person in shock may not remember most of what was said in the meeting. Rights, dates and contact people should be given in writing, and the chance of a second meeting for questions should be offered.
7. Protect their dignity. Forcing a person to pack their belongings in front of everyone or to leave the building escorted by a security guard, without a specific security reason, creates a deep sense of humiliation. It is important to give the person options about how and when to say goodbye to the team.
Suppose a decision is made at a textile factory to close a line because of a lost order. In the first scenario, employees learn of the decision from a list at the gate as they get off the morning shuttle; their cards do not work and nobody answers questions. In the second scenario, the production manager and the HR officer speak to the employees on the line one by one, explain the reason for the decision, give the rights and dates in writing and say they will contact other businesses in the area about job opportunities. In both scenarios the outcome is the same: people lose their jobs. But in the second scenario, the way both those leaving and those who stay carry the experience will be very different.
A decision to dismiss is sometimes unavoidable, but carrying it out in a way that damages a person's dignity is never unavoidable.
For more on the communication skills to use during the meeting, see the article a guide to difficult conversations.
After the Dismissal: Supporting the Departing Employee and the Remaining Team
The end of the meeting does not mean the end of the process. For the departing employee, the following support can be considered:
- Career transition support: CV preparation, interview practice, a reference letter, pointers to job opportunities in the sector.
- Psychological support: If the organisation has an employee assistance programme, allowing the departing employee to keep using this service for a set period is valuable support.
- An open channel of communication: Designating an HR contact who can be reached in the weeks after departure for documents, payments and questions.
For the remaining team, the following matter:
- Prompt and honest information: Holding a short meeting with the team the same day or the next, before a vacuum of rumour forms.
- Clarity about the future: Sharing everything that can be known about whether further dismissals are planned, how the workload will be distributed and how roles will change.
- Making room for feelings: Acknowledging that feeling sadness, anger or guilt at a teammate's departure is understandable.
- Rearranging the workload: Unplanned loading of the departed person's tasks onto those who remain lays the ground for burnout.
One point that needs care in the departing person's process is serious risk signs. If hopelessness, statements such as "Nothing means anything any more" or thoughts of self-harm are noticed, the person should not be left alone and should be directed to professional support; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).
An Organisational Approach in Periods of Mass Dismissal and Downsizing
In downsizing periods that affect more than one employee, the psychological burden multiplies. The legal side of such processes may involve obligations different from those of individual terminations, so it must be planned with an employment law specialist. From a psychological and managerial point of view, the following principles are recommended:
- Prepare a communication plan: Who will tell whom, when, through which channel and with what message? The plan ensures consistency among managers.
- Train and support managers: Managers who will hold more than one notification meeting on the same day carry a serious emotional load. Preparation should be planned before the meetings, and a debrief and support session afterwards.
- Transparency against rumours: In periods of uncertainty, information spreading uncontrolled can make anxiety bigger than the real situation.
- Review psychosocial risks: The Ministry of Labour and Social Security's 2024 Information Guide on Psychosocial Factors lists categories such as career development, organisational culture and workload among psychosocial hazards (ÇSGB, 2024). Downsizing periods can increase many of these hazards at the same time.
The International Labour Organization stresses that individual support measures should complement organisational measures (ILO, 2026). In other words, it is not enough simply to open a counselling line; the process itself needs to be designed to be fair, transparent and respectful.
How to Get Started in Your Organisation
For organisations that want to make their dismissal processes more humane, a three-stage roadmap can be suggested:
Needs analysis: Review past departure processes. Identify what lessons came out of exit interviews, feedback from remaining teams and any legal disputes. Ask managers how prepared they feel for such meetings.
Programme: Prepare a written departure process and communication guide; develop the legal parts with an employment law specialist and the psychological parts with a mental health professional. Train managers in the notification meeting and in managing the team afterwards. Plan psychological support for both departing and remaining employees. You can see such training and support models on the corporate services page.
Measurement: After the process, run a short pulse survey among the remaining teams; monitor commitment, trust and intention to leave. Compare absenteeism, resignation and support service use data with previous periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a dismissal meeting last?
It is generally recommended to keep it short; the main aim is to convey the decision clearly and respectfully, give the basic information and make room for the reaction. Planning a second meeting within a few days for detailed questions helps the person receive the information at a calmer moment rather than in shock.
How much detail should I give the employee about the reason for dismissal?
The reasoning should be brief, honest and consistent; getting into long defences or arguments usually makes the situation harder. Because what information should be shared and how it is put can have legal consequences, it is important to consult an employment law specialist on this.
Why does the manager carrying out the dismissal feel bad?
Even if the decision is not the manager's own, giving bad news to a person creates guilt, sadness and anxiety. These feelings are normal and a sign of the manager's humanity. It is important that managers too can receive support in this process, both for their own wellbeing and for how they approach the team.
Is it the employer's duty to offer psychological support to a departing employee?
It is not possible to state a single rule that applies to everyone on this; but many organisations find it humane and valuable for their reputation to offer departing employees counselling or career transition support for a set period. Such support also tells remaining employees that the organisation values people.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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