04/14/2016
Q. We have a challenging employee who is not really a poor performer, but is generally disliked by her co-workers. She is a gossip and games the system on our attendance policy. She seems to needlessly start minor squabbles with other employees. Recently, this employee approached HR and offered to resign if the company would agree not to fight her request for unemployment. We feel like this is a good opportunity to get rid of a problem employee without terminating her, and unemployment benefits would be a small price to pay. Is there any reason why we shouldn’t accept her resignation and agree to not challenge her unemployment claim?
04/14/2016
Q. We have an employee in our accounting department who, a few times over the past month, has come to work smelling of alcohol and displaying signs of intoxication. For several years this employee was a solid performer, but lately she’s missing deadlines and has been somewhat belligerent to co-workers. We are worried about her health, of course, but also her performance and any potential liability related to her conduct while she’s under the influence. When asked by co-workers, this employee has denied having a drinking problem or being intoxicated at work. Since she’s in denial, can we ask her to submit to a test for alcohol the next time she appears to be intoxicated at work?
