February 2, 2008
Make sure you have a standard warning form (Layoff)
Make sure you have a standard warning form that management uses to discipline difficult employees. Sometimes an immediate separating is proper, but other times there are risks of legal repercussions. The Notice of Dismissal Is an important Legal Document. So how do owners like Melanie protect themselves when separating personnel? This leads to the jobholder feeling you didn't give him his "due." In such cases, suspend the jobholder for 3 days with pay to let everyone's emotions cool off, carry out a fair inquest and prepare a proper dismissal. You must develop an employee handbook that obviously spells out inappropriate behaviors that will receive rehabilitative action. So again, this will help stop claims of unlawful separation and increase your court defense. o Could the worker believe you're separating for an wrongful, stupid or "no" reason, even when it's not true?
The disgruntled individual often might have a story to go with their smart mouth or attitude. This will relieve his stress and help him engage productively in the meeting. Remember people have their own personalities, which you can't generally change by advice from management. Certainly firm cannot come to a screeching halt because one individual must be let go. This will send a message to your other employees that you won't tolerate behavior outside business standards. You can find sample termination notifications for attitude online. o The employee isn't the type to sue, but you have poor documentation. Not only can the dismissal prompt a suit, but there can also be other negative repercussions.