Get revised report with 25 common termination reasons

July 30, 2008

Ex-Enron Official to Pay Millions to Settle (Problem Employee)

Next: Our recommended guide for terminating an employee


A former top executive of Enron is paying $31.5 million to settle charges that he used inside information to profit illegally from sales of thousands of shares of company stock in 2001.


Normally, the law does not apply to you if you have less than 100 employees. When a verbal notice fails, the written notice will often get the employee to improve. Inform the worker you're giving this "short-cycle" performance review to give him a chance to upgrade and understand your new expectations. Separating a high level worker can be intimidating if you're a small company owner or a Human resources Manager. These may include issues like endless tardiness, unreasonable absenteeism, consistently poor work quality, use of improper drugs on firm property, acts of violence while on company property and many others. You're generally so frustrated and time-constrained you must send the disgruntled individual packing right away. To protect the company from wrongful dismissal suits, schedule a witness to be present with the layoff manager and the worker. o Separated employee's co-employees.

You can note the work has been unsatisfactory, but then outline the specific flaws. Sample reprimand notifications are always a good reference to have when planning to "write up a worker". Unless the company is small, you can't personally layoff everyone in just one morning. The boss should make clear what the employee did wrong and how to fix future behavior. You can't layoff an employee for taking FMLA leave. This may include certain medical benefits, discontinuance pay, or even special restrictions that become important when you consider sacking them. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects workers 40 and over from separation owing to age and outlaws compulsory retirement.

Permalink • Print
Next: Our recommended guide for terminating an employee