Ref. letter for termed EE

Caroliso

I need some advice on writing a reference letter for someone who has been termed due to performance issues. This is part of a settlement agreement--I wouldn't ordinarily write such a letter.

There are things we can say that are true that don't highlight her performance issues. She was a solid performer with a few manageable issues for a while, then things deteriorated.

I wouldn't say this in a reference letter but one of the reasons things didn't work out was a personality conflict with a newly appointed supervisor. She didn't handle the situation very well. It was a righteous termination reviewed with our attorney, I don't have second thoughts about that, but the reference piece is a toughie.

Any ways to be encouraging to a future employer without saying we would hire her back, which we wouldn't? I know I'm not giving you much, just looking to hear from those of you who have been in this situation before or have given it some thought and have some advice.

ray a

I recently had to write a letter for a director we terminated due to performance issues. I wrote the rough draft and the lawyers cleaned it up. I can send you a copy if you give me your email address.

Caroliso

That would be great, thanks. You can send it to [email]caroliso@aol.com[/email].

I have a draft that I've prepared for our attorney, but it seems a little flat so I'm looking for ways to beef it up a little.