Three NFL head coaches were terminated on \u201cBlack Monday\u201d \u2013 the day following the end of the regular season.\u00a0 The coaches were Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons) Rex Ryan (New York Jets), and Marc Trestman (Chicago Bears).<\/p>\n
As an Atlanta resident and Falcons fan, I paid close attention to much of the public speculation over Mike Smith\u2019s job security leading up to Black Monday.\u00a0 While the 2013 and 2014 seasons were disappointing, Mike Smith was the most successful coach in the history of the Falcons.\u00a0 He was well-liked by his players and fans and he appeared to have the respect of the team\u2019s owner, Arthur Blank.<\/p>\n
It was, therefore, no surprise that Mr. Blank\u2019s press conference announcing Coach Smith\u2019s termination was handled with class.\u00a0 Mr. Blank complimented Coach Smith on his professional achievements and thanked Coach Smith for the contributions he made toward the team\u2019s success during his tenure. \u00a0Moreover, Mr. Blank discussed his vison for the future and desire to hire the right coach without disparaging Coach Smith.<\/p>\n
Mr. Blank\u2019s press conference was refreshing and serves as a model of how organizations should communicate termination decisions. Too often organizations make public statements about a terminated employee via press releases and press conferences that are unnecessary and harmful to the employee\u2019s professional reputation and character.<\/p>\n
Certainly, a company should be careful about how it characterizes the terminated employee\u2019s performance and skills.\u00a0 If the company makes public statements about an employee that are false, they can constitute actionable defamation.\u00a0 Furthermore, litigation often comes about when terminated employees feel they were disrespected or mistreated. \u00a0Being terminated is an emotional event, even for high ranking leaders such as coaches and CEO\u2019s. \u00a0Companies can reduce the risk of litigation over terminations by simply being respectful towards terminated employees.\u00a0 Some simple examples are responding timely to an employee\u2019s requests for information on benefits, final paychecks, or other issues that may arise.<\/p>\n
Terminations are necessary and will always be a difficult challenge for an organization.\u00a0 As Mr. Blank stated in his press release, one of the most difficult decisions to make as a leader in any business is to determine whether the people in place can take the organization to the next level.\u00a0 In this regard, Mr. Blank commented that in making this type of decision you constantly reflect on all of the components and you \u201cgo up and back thousands of times a night\u201d before reaching a decision.<\/p>\n
With proper consideration and planning, organizations can communicate termination decisions, even very difficult and highly public terminations, without unnecessarily harming the departing employee.\u00a0 By being professional, the organization also helps its reputation and reduces the likelihood of litigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three NFL head coaches were terminated on \u201cBlack Monday\u201d \u2013 the day following the end of the regular season.\u00a0 The coaches were Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons) Rex Ryan (New York Jets), and Marc Trestman (Chicago Bears). As an Atlanta resident and Falcons fan, I paid close attention to much of the public speculation over Mike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[93,94,86,95],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n