The 4 keys steps to fire an employee in France

Firing an employee in France

Once you have a motive you can prove to fire an employee, and you’ve decided you wanted to lay him/her off, there are 4 main steps you need to follow.

1. Sending a meeting notice

First and foremost, the employee has to receive a notice for a meeting. It has to be sent as a registered letter, so that its date can be proven. Alternatively, you can give the letter directly, with the employee signing a statement assuring that the letter was received, or have a notary be present.

2. Having the meeting

The employee then has at least 5 days to prepare for the meeting to discuss the reasons behind a potential dismissal or to find solutions to avoid it. The employee can always come accompanied by someone else. In fact, the employee doesn’t have to be present at all.

3. The dismissal letter

If, after the meeting, the dismissal is confirmed, the Employee must be sent a letter containing the following pieces of information:

• The motive for dismissal
• The eventual possibilities for redeployment
• The rights the employee keeps after his dismissal

4. The end of the contract

Depending on the situation, the employee might have to work until the end of the contract. They’ll also have to receive the following documents:

• A work certificate
• A Pôle Emploi certificate (Pôle Emploi is the French national employment center)
• The balance of the account

If this is an economic dismissal, you’ll also have to organize a consultation with staff representatives, as well as a notice to the administration.

Generally, employees will also have to receive compensation when they’re laid off. However, that doesn’t apply when they’ve been dismissed because of grave or serious misconduct.