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Terminations

State auditors investigating purchase-Card fraud

07/01/2007

Georgia Tech has fired an employee who rang up $25,000 in personal charges on a state purchasing card and failed
to repay it. The disturbing part is …

Don’t allow shift preferences that favor some, exclude others

07/01/2007

Sometimes, it’s impossible to manage multiple shifts and satisfy everyone. Someone is bound to come to work unhappy …

To bury age discrimination, track decision-makers’ ages, too

07/01/2007

As the population gets older, age discrimination cases are sure to become more commonplace. Some tried-and-true administrative processes can discourage those claims …

Don’t delay termination notice if you’re confident you’re right

07/01/2007

If you can justify a decision to terminate an employee — even one with a disability or who is on FMLA leave — don’t wait. Just do it …

You can prohibit uncivil language as well as obviously offensive speech

07/01/2007

One person’s good-natured pet name may be another’s racist comment. You can — and should — create an anti-harassment policy …

Good faith and bad references

07/01/2007

Q. How do I give a reference for a worker I had to fire?

National security trumps national-Origin claims

07/01/2007

Even in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, environment, employers know they can’t use national origin or religion as an excuse to discharge or refuse to hire employees.

When same manager hires and fires, it’s unlikely to be discrimination

07/01/2007

The New York Human Rights Law, like Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act, makes it illegal to fire an employee because of his or her race. Both laws also recognize that it’s unlikely that a manager who is aware of an employee’s race when hiring would turn around and fire the same employee because of race …

To be safe, always double-Check supervisor’s allegations

07/01/2007

When it comes to discharging an employee, be careful not to simply accept a supervisor’s opinion of the employee’s performance. If the supervisor is effectively hiding an underlying problem with persons belonging to a protected class and you don’t check for yourself whether the employee deserves to lose the job, you may end up costing the company money …

Injured worker? Proceed with unemployment case

07/01/2007

An employee who is injured at work is generally eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. But if you know the employee has engaged in misconduct that would make him or her ineligible for unemployment compensation, you can discharge the employee anyway and avoid paying both kinds of benefits …