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      <category id="30">Business &amp; Finance</category>
      <category id="37" parent_id="30">Management &amp; Business Skills</category>
      <category id="40" parent_id="37">Hiring &amp; Firing</category>
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    <easy-steps>true</easy-steps>
    <created-at>Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:06:40 -0700</created-at>
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    <tags>business, job, work, fire, let, go, firing, worker, employee, managing</tags>
    <title>How To Fire Someone</title>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[Telling someone they've lost their job is never easy. But with the right preparation, you can make it go smoothly.]]>
    </description>
    <permalink>http://www.howcast.com/videos/165232-How-To-Fire-Someone</permalink>
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    <state>approved</state>
    <duration>147</duration>
    <width>640</width>
    <height>360</height>
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    <rating>13</rating>
    <username>TreehouseFlicks</username>
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    <ingredients>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[Documentation of any misdeeds]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[Directness]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[Someone to escort them out of the office]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[Notes]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[A witness]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[A box of tissues]]>
      </ingredient>
      <ingredient>
        <![CDATA[Someone to shut down their computer access]]>
      </ingredient>
    </ingredients>
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      <marker>
        <id>62859</id>
        <position>1</position>
        <timemarker>30</timemarker>
        <type>Step</type>
        <thumbnail-url>http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/165232/30.jpg</thumbnail-url>
        <title>Document your case</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Document all the actions leading up to the dismissal: the employee's misdeeds, your repeated warnings, and – if you can – their acknowledgement that they received these warnings. It's good practice in general, plus it will be useful if the employee sues for wrongful termination. ]]>
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        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Document all the actions leading up to the dismissal: the employee&#8217;s misdeeds, your repeated warnings, and – if you can – their acknowledgement that they received these warnings. It&#8217;s good practice in general, plus it will be useful if the employee sues for wrongful termination.</p>]]>
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        <type>Step</type>
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        <title>Do it on a Monday</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Though employers tend to let people go at the end of the work week, it's more considerate to do it at the beginning of the week, when they can sign up for unemployment and start their job hunt, instead of making them stew all weekend. ]]>
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        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Though employers tend to let people go at the end of the work week, it&#8217;s more considerate to do it at the beginning of the week, when they can sign up for unemployment and start their job hunt, instead of making them stew all weekend.</p>]]>
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        <timemarker>57</timemarker>
        <type>Step</type>
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        <title>Do it in person</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Fire them in person. It's unprofessional, not to mention cold-hearted, to inform someone via email or voice mail.]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Fire them in person. It&#8217;s unprofessional, not to mention cold-hearted, to inform someone via email or voice mail.</p>]]>
        </text>
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        <id>62862</id>
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        <timemarker>66</timemarker>
        <type>Tip</type>
        <thumbnail-url></thumbnail-url>
        <title></title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Have a witness who can attest to how everything went down, just in case your professionalism is called into question.  ]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Have a witness who can attest to how everything went down, just in case your professionalism is called into question.</p>]]>
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        <type>Step</type>
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        <title>Be direct</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Be direct. Tell them why they are being let go, when they can expect their final paycheck, and whether they are getting severance. Don't beat around the bush – it will only make the news harder to absorb. ]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Be direct. Tell them why they are being let go, when they can expect their final paycheck, and whether they are getting severance. Don&#8217;t beat around the bush – it will only make the news harder to absorb.</p>]]>
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        <id>62864</id>
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        <type>Step</type>
        <thumbnail-url>http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/165232/84.jpg</thumbnail-url>
        <title>Be brief</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Be brief. You don't want to give the impression the subject is open to debate. And keep it professional. Avoid personal statements like, "I really feel bad about this," which could encourage them to respond in kind, dragging you into a messy conversation. ]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Be brief. You don&#8217;t want to give the impression the subject is open to debate. And keep it professional. Avoid personal statements like, &#8220;I really feel bad about this,&#8221; which could encourage them to respond in kind, dragging you into a messy conversation.</p>]]>
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        <type>Tip</type>
        <thumbnail-url></thumbnail-url>
        <title></title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Keep a box of tissues handy. ]]>
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        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Keep a box of tissues handy.</p>]]>
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      <marker>
        <id>62866</id>
        <position>8</position>
        <timemarker>106</timemarker>
        <type>Step</type>
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        <title>Have them leave immediately</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[It's become common practice to ask the person to leave as soon as they've settled their affairs with the Human Resources department. If your company handles sensitive information, or if you believe the person may try to retaliate, consider escorting them out of the building and shipping their personal effects to them.]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s become common practice to ask the person to leave as soon as they&#8217;ve settled their affairs with the Human Resources department. If your company handles sensitive information, or if you believe the person may try to retaliate, consider escorting them out of the building and shipping their personal effects to them.</p>]]>
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      </marker>
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        <id>62867</id>
        <position>9</position>
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        <type>Tip</type>
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        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[Have someone shut down their computer access while they are being fired, and retrieve company property like a PDA and office keys from them before they leave. ]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>Have someone shut down their computer access while they are being fired, and retrieve company property like a <span class="caps">PDA</span> and office keys from them before they leave.</p>]]>
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      </marker>
      <marker>
        <id>62868</id>
        <position>10</position>
        <timemarker>131</timemarker>
        <type>Step</type>
        <thumbnail-url>http://img.howcast.com/system/thumbnails/165232/131.jpg</thumbnail-url>
        <title>Take notes</title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[As soon as the meeting is over, while your memory is still fresh, write down a detailed account of what happened to document that you went by the book. ]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>As soon as the meeting is over, while your memory is still fresh, write down a detailed account of what happened to document that you went by the book.</p>]]>
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      </marker>
      <marker>
        <id>62869</id>
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        <type>Fact</type>
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        <title></title>
        <textile-text>
          <![CDATA[One of the most frequently cited reasons for firing an employee is poor attendance.]]>
        </textile-text>
        <text>
          <![CDATA[<p>One of the most frequently cited reasons for firing an employee is poor attendance.</p>]]>
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        <rating>4</rating>
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          <![CDATA[Experts recommend having three to six months of living expenses squirreled away for a crisis -- twice that amount in a bad economy! Find the cash for it with these steps. ]]>
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          <![CDATA[Before you hand over your money to an investment adviser, make sure they have your best interests at heart.  ]]>
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        <title>How To Save Money By Eliminating 10 Things You Don't Need</title>
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        <views>3657</views>
        <created-at>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:04:09 -0700</created-at>
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        <username>BARKBARK</username>
        <description>
          <![CDATA[Check out these relatively painless ways to cut back on your expenses. ]]>
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        <id>239119</id>
        <title>How To Help Your Friends and Neighbors Save Money on Energy</title>
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        <views>1210</views>
        <created-at>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:03:27 -0700</created-at>
        <rating>0</rating>
        <username>CreateTheGood</username>
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          <![CDATA[Spread the word: It's easy to reduce energy consumption! By sharing these tips, you'll help friends and family use less energy and save money. ]]>
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        <views>237</views>
        <created-at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:02:57 -0800</created-at>
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        <username>BajillionairesClub</username>
        <description>
          <![CDATA[Putting aside and accumulating money is easier with these strategies. ]]>
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        <title>How To Live on a Budget</title>
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        <created-at>Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:00:24 -0800</created-at>
        <rating>42</rating>
        <username>bender</username>
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          <![CDATA[They don’t call it minimum wage for nothing ...

How’s a guy supposed to get ahead, breaking his back 24-7, when all it gets you is chicken scratch?

My friend, you need a budget.]]>
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        <title>How To Consolidate Debt</title>
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        <views>1457</views>
        <created-at>Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:47:51 -0800</created-at>
        <rating>10</rating>
        <username>bencheek</username>
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          <![CDATA[Combine your debt into one manageable chunk to minimize interest rates. ]]>
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