Firing

Different severance OK–if there’s a legal rationale

08/11/2016

When planning a reduction in force, you can offer different employees different severance payments—as long as it’s based on a nondiscriminatory reason, such as length of service.

Beware giving contradictory reasons for discharge

08/09/2016

Want to terminate an employee? Make sure that if you state a reason, you do so consistently.

Kids these days: Summer interns’ petition backfires

07/15/2016

Alison Green gets lots of comments on her “Ask A Manager” blog, but 1,200 on a single post?

Good faith: It’s what courts want to see in discipline

07/13/2016

When it comes to discipline, employees aren’t entitled to the equivalent of a jury trial. It’s good enough that the employer investigated and considered the employee’s input before deciding in good faith on a course of action.

You don’t have to fire just because of one comment

07/08/2016

Employers are required to take reasonable steps to stop comments that are particularly offensive. That doesn’t automatically mean you have to fire an offensive employee. You can discipline instead and hope that fixes the problem.

Repeated false complaints? That’s grounds for firing

07/06/2016

You know that employee who always seems to be filing meritless discrimination or harassment complaints? You can and should discipline that guy.

NLRB backs Chipotle employee who took to Twitter with gripes

07/05/2016

A former employee at a Chipotle restaurant in Havertown has won his case before the National Labor Relations Board. The man peppered Chipotle’s upper management with tweets expressing his concerns about low wages.

Fire away! Whistleblowing doesn’t excuse wrongdoing

06/22/2016

Some employees seem to believe that as long as they engage in whistleblowing, they’re immune from getting fired. That’s not true.

Government employer? Before firing, weigh employee’s policy role, free speech

06/22/2016

Recently the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that a public employee cannot be discharged because he may have supported his boss’s opponent in an election. Now, however, a federal court has limited the impact of the ruling for employees whose positions involve policymaking or employee confidentiality.

Go figure: Drunk at work means no unemployment

06/17/2016

Employers don’t have to tolerate intoxicated employees. That’s willful misconduct that bars receiving unemployment benefits.