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Terminations

Review severance pact for clarity; define ‘for cause’ terminations

06/01/2005
Many employers offer severance to soften the blow of terminations and to buy a little insurance against lawsuits. But for those agreements to be enforceable, it’s important that you define the …

Choose ‘firing words’ carefully; stick to performance

06/01/2005
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Don’t allow managers to issue hasty termination letters

06/01/2005
If you haven’t already, establish a policy that says HR and/or other senior executives must review supervisors’ termination proposals. The goal: Prevent supervisors from making legally dangerous firings out of anger, …

Employee moonlighting: Should you ban it?

06/01/2005
Issue: One in 20 employees moonlights, and a hot labor market offers employees in your shop new opportunities to work second jobs.
Risk: Moonlighting can create tired, distracted employees, plus …

Female employees can sue for ‘potty parity’

06/01/2005
Don’t make different bathroom-break rules for the different sexes. Case in point: A manufacturer’s new factory had only one restroom, which was designed for men. Female employees could use that restroom …

Prevent the damage from employee defections

06/01/2005
Issue: How to stop employees from disclosing confidential data, or jumping to a competitor and stealing your employees.
Benefit: You can stop defectors from raiding your business, but only if …

Remind managers: Base hiring only on job-related reasons

05/01/2005
Issue: Can you place conditions on employment that aren’t related to the person’s ability to perform the job?
Risk: Courts may see such restrictions as illegal “employment blackmail.”
Action: …

Cut your legal risks by reworking exit interviews

05/01/2005
Issue: Gaining more value from your exit interviews.
Risk: Intelligence gathered often falls into a “black hole,” so mistakes are repeated and legal land mines are overlooked.
Action: Ask …

Don’t retaliate against employees for controversial public opinions

05/01/2005
If your organization does business with any government entity (from a state agency to a local school board), be wary of allowing government officials to become involved in your employee discipline …

Don’t ‘get tough’ on certain staff; tie punishment to crime

05/01/2005
Issue: Supervisors tend to be quicker in disciplining employees that have given them trouble in the past.
Risk: Singling out certain “troublemakers” for discipline can spur a retaliation lawsuit.
…