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Firing

Don’t tolerate insubordination, rudeness

11/30/2011

You know her—the abrasive em­­ployee who’s just plain hard to work with. Employers sometimes fear disciplining such employees, thinking that any legitimate criticism will be perceived as some sort of discrimination. Stop living in fear.

Warren Twp. out $2.6 million for retaliatory firing

11/29/2011
A Morris County jury has awarded $1.38 million to former Warren Township prosecutor Michelle D’Onofrio, who was fired in 2007 after accusing a local judge of misconduct.

After FMLA leave, build bullet-proof case before firing

11/29/2011
It’s certainly possible to terminate an employee who returns from FMLA leave—if you have good reasons un­­related to the FMLA.

When employee files nonsense lawsuit, leave the legal maneuvering to your attorney

11/29/2011

In HR, sometimes one just has to wait while disputes run their course—like when a terminated employee sues over claims that clearly have no basis in reality. You can’t ignore such a lawsuit, but you should push your attorney right away to resolve the situation.

Fayetteville Goodyear plant sued over woman’s firing

11/28/2011
Goodyear Tire & Rubber faces charges of disability discrimination at its Fayetteville plant after it terminated a woman because she suffers from a menstrual bleeding disorder, menorrhagia.

Changing company name doesn’t end legal liability

11/28/2011
Businesses come and go, especially during tough economic times. But sometimes companies just change names and corporate status, while essentially remaining the same entity. That doesn’t mean their legal obligations just disappear.

Cupid in the workplace: You can terminate supervisor for lying about personal relationship

11/28/2011
What if you suspect a supervisor/subordinate relationship, but the two people deny it? You probably can’t do anything more than reiterate your workplace rule against it. If it turns out the supervisor lied, you can certainly terminate him or her—both for breaking the rule and then lying about it.

Document poor attitude, just in case of lawsuit

11/25/2011
Here’s a tip for handling a difficult and argumentative employee. If she tells her supervisors she doesn’t like her job, wants to avoid some tasks and otherwise doesn’t seem interested in progressing, note her lousy attitude.

Can I fire someone I just don’t like?

11/23/2011
Q. I would like to fire an employee who is unpleasant to work with. We simply don’t “click.” Do I have to have cause to terminate him?

Contesting unemployment? Prove misconduct was willful

11/23/2011
Employees fired for willful misconduct aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation. If you terminate someone for breaking a workplace rule, be prepared to prove that the employee knew about the rule and understood it.