The termination letter is valid and considered understood by Employer and Employee upon signature by both.
To [Insert name of the employee to be terminated],
This letter is to inform you that your employment with [Insert name of the company] has been terminated effective [immediately/date].
You have been terminated from your position with [Insert name of the company] for the following reason(s):
[List factual reasons for termination]
This decision is not reversible.
You will receive: [List compensation they will receive, including pay for unused leave, severance pay, salary owed, etc].
Your care benefits will [Explanation of what will happen with their benefits].
You are requested to return [list all company property to be returned].
Also, please keep in mind that you have signed [list any agreements the employee has signed, such as a confidentiality policy or a non-solicitation agreement and their consequences].
If you have questions about policies you have signed, your compensation, benefits, or returning company property, please contact [contact name, typically someone from HR, with contact info].
If you would like, you may participate in an exit interview. Please contact the person listed above to schedule a date and time for your exit interview.
In colloquial terms, it's the document that makes a firing official. The cause for it may be known or unknown, and it always relies on the hands of the head of the department to decide on termination. Often, it is bad news for both the parties involved and the most polite formal way of giving the notice of termination is through a letter. Employee Termination Letters are generally one-sided, in that there is no negotiation and the employer is merely alerting the former employee to need-to-know exit information.
If the terms of the firing are more mutual and amicable, consider using the separation agreement instead.
