Sample letter of recommendation for terminated employee

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Easy-to-adapt sample reference letters.

This job reference letter is for an employee who has been laid off or made redundant. In addition to giving reasons for the layoff or retrenchment, it provides a strong recommendation for future employment.

Sample letter of recommendation for terminated employee

This type of reference letter can be difficult to write. Get help with how to write a reference or letter of recommendation that is valid, reliable and positive for an employee who has undergone the lay off process.

Different circumstances require different types of job references. If you are looking for general sample reference letters go here.

Sample Employment Reference after a Layoff

Date

To whom it may concern

John Smith has been employed by ABC Company from May 2018 to April 2020 as a Call Center Agent. He reported directly to me, the Call Center Manager, during this period.

His duties included responding to customer inquiries and providing customers with product information. He also processed orders and followed up with customers. He performed these functions expertly with both commitment and enthusiasm.

I can recommend John for his strong communication skills, his excellent organizational ability and his attention to detail. He was able to successfully use his initiative and good judgment in dealing with customers and always stayed calm under pressure.

It is unfortunate that due to current economic constraints the company has had to restructure its call center function and lose valued employees such as John. I can confidently recommend John as a call center or customer service agent to any prospective employer and I wish him all the best in his job search.

If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely

Helen Joseph
Call Center Manager
ABC Company
Contact number
Email address

Sample reference letters and letters of recommendation

How to write a character reference

A character reference can be used by job candidates with little or no work experience and no access to an employment reference. It is a description of the behavioral attributes and personal traits of the individual and includes reasons for recommending the individual.

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A termination recommendation letter outlines the reason for which an employee is being fired, as well as any benefits to which they may be entitled.3 min read

1. Employee Termination Letter
2. Does the Law Require a Termination Letter?
3. Termination Letters With Well-Documented Performance Data
4. What to Include in a Termination Letter

A termination recommendation letter outlines the reason for which an employee is being fired, as well as any benefits to which he or she may be entitled as a result of the termination. This letter is meant to serve as a notice to the employee that the business relationship with your company has come to an end.

Employee Termination Letter

Termination letters are intended to:

  • Notify an employee that he or she has been fired
  • Inform the employee regarding any next steps that need to be taken on his or her part
  • Explain any benefits or compensation to which the employee is entitled in association with the termination

Termination letters are also sometimes referred to as:

  • Pink slips
  • Letters of termination
  • Contract termination letters
  • Letters of separation
  • Notice of termination of employment

Informing an employee of his or her termination in this manner is safer for the employer because of the fact that upset former employees may be looking for someone to blame for the fact they've been let go.

In the event that a former employee seeks to pursue legal action, by keeping his or her termination letter simple and refraining from giving a valid reason, you're enabling the company to use any evidence as a defense. If the termination letter states the cause of separation, this is likely to be the only reason for the employee's separation that you'll be allowed to use in court.

Does the Law Require a Termination Letter?

While there is no federal law in place that requires a company to provide their employees with termination letters, it is required in certain states. The Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM, strongly recommends you provide an employee with an official termination letter upon his or her release from your employment.

Termination letters are also useful for the purpose of creating documentation. They help to make your intentions clear, as well as outlining any next steps that may be required of the employee. If your state requires termination letters, providing them upon an employee's release from duty will keep you out of trouble.

Termination Letters With Well-Documented Performance Data

It's important to make sure you have a solid case and that your reasons for firing an employee are thoroughly documented. It is becoming more and more common for lawsuits in this particular area to be supplemented by a lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, with allegations that discrimination has taken place in some way.

Learning about these things the hard way can be costly and time consuming. Therefore, it's highly recommended that in the event a manager is responsible for keeping this documentation up to date, a human resources member should check the documentation regularly to make sure everything is dated correctly and properly documented. You're going to need to make sure your documentation is legally sound. The last thing you want to have happen is to think that your documentation is solid only to find out later that it isn't.

In cases involving dismissal for poor performance, the employee in question is likely to provide a copy of your termination letter to the unemployment office. It's important to understand you're most likely going to notice mixed results when dealing with local unemployment offices. This is largely because each office, while operating under a set of guidelines, makes its own determinations.

In one particular case, a former employee was awarded unemployment compensation despite the fact that the former employer sent a total of 30 pages of performance related documentation. Within this documentation were clear indicators the employee was, in fact, trying to get fired intentionally. Despite this, he won his claim and was allowed to collect unemployment benefits.

What to Include in a Termination Letter

A termination letter should always include the following:

  • The employee's name, department, ID number, and position
  • The name of the manager handling the termination
  • Any benefits or compensation the employee is entitled to receive
  • Any company property the employee is to return
  • Any legal agreements (such as non-disclosure or non-compete agreements) the employee signed

It's a good idea to make sure a termination is reviewed by an attorney before having it delivered.

If you need help with a termination recommendation letter, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies such as Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

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How do you write a letter of recommendation for someone who was fired?

An effective reference letter should include the following points, written on company letterhead:.
Dates of employment..
Reference to a layoff that was outside the employee's control..
An outline of their duties or some of the key projects on which they worked..
The employee's strengths..
A stated recommendation for the employee..

How do you writing a reference for an employee who has been dismissed?

Factual data such as the ex-employee's job title, length of service and final salary figure are good pieces of information to disclose. If you choose to say anything else, keep your comments factual. Speculation or any information about the ex-employee that you can't prove is unwise to provide when giving a reference.

Should you be a reference for someone who was fired?

Employers should never provide a reference for employees fired for cause. Similarly, although not liable for defamation, if an employer's reference is provided negligently, with little forethought or care, and the employee loses a job as result, they may have a suit against the former employer.

How do you write a former employee reference?

Mention their job title, salary history, and dates of service with you. Then, if you've chosen to be thorough, give some information (remember, fair and accurate) about the employee's role, performance, successes, skills, and professional conduct. State in clear terms that you recommend the person for a job.