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Terminations

Beat discrimination lawsuits by nailing down specific rationale for employment decisions

06/02/2010
In age discrimination cases, employees only have to show they were replaced by someone younger, or otherwise discharged because of age. You will have a much easier time showing that you had a legitimate reason unrelated to age for terminating the employee if you can cite specific business reasons to back up each part of your decision-making process.

Know the one key limit on at-will employment

06/02/2010

Because Texas is an “at-will” state, employers are generally free to fire employees for any reason or no reason. Of course, firing employees under circumstances that would be illegal under any specific employment law won’t fly. But other than that, there is only one other discharge reason that puts employees outside at-will employment: Employers can’t fire employees for refusing to perform an illegal act.

Keep careful records so you can show why you punished similar behavior differently

06/01/2010

Employers sometimes think that if they have a broad workplace rule in place, they have to punish everyone who breaks that rule exactly the same way. That’s not necessarily true. The key is to make sure you can document why one employee deserved a more severe punishment than another. Two cases illustrate how to go about individualizing punishment:

Can you fire an employee for threatening suicide?

06/01/2010
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. What should you do if you learn one of your employees brandished a gun and threatened suicide, but a doctor released him back to work? Shouldn’t you be concerned about safety? What other kinds of liability might you face?

Good news for employers: Workers’ comp retaliation isn’t a federal case

05/28/2010
Whenever a case moves from state court into the federal court system, costs go up and delays become frequent because dockets are so crowded. That’s one reason a recent decision by a federal court to send a case back to the North Carolina court system is good news. The case involved a workers’ compensation retaliation claim …

Think twice before piling on worker who’s suing

05/28/2010

Employees who file EEOC complaints, hire an attorney or file a lawsuit alleging Title VII violations are protected from retaliation. If you make any sudden adverse employment decisions after the employee has engaged in those protected activities, you’re likely to face retaliation charges, too. That doesn’t mean you should never discipline or fire employees who take you to court.

Cut no slack just because employee won award

05/27/2010
Sometimes, good employees go bad. Quite often, employers that suddenly have to terminate an employee who had been doing a great job find themselves on the losing end of a discrimination lawsuit. There’s one way to show bias played no part in the decision: Document the employee’s unacceptable behavior.

What factors should I consider before firing a new employee for excessive absences?

05/26/2010
Q. We have a new administrative employee in our medical office who missed 22 days of work in her first nine weeks. She has doctor excuses for illnesses for most of the days, but my front office is a shambles. Can I put her on written warning for excessive absences? Can I terminate her?

Don’t let fear of lawsuit keep you from firing harasser

05/26/2010
There’s no way around it: When you fire someone who has been harassing other employees, he may sue. Accept that fact and carefully document the investigation that led to the termination.

No-fault attendance alert: Think twice before firing FMLA-eligible employee

05/26/2010

Employers can use no-fault attendance policies as a way to control absenteeism. There’s no doubt about the effectiveness of no-fault programs, which allow a certain number of unexcused absences without any documentation, and then punish employees who go beyond allowable limits. But before you fire an employee for breaking your absenteeism rules, carefully consider whether he is eligible for FMLA leave.