Layoffs

Contract lapse can trigger employment suit

09/29/2022

Some employers assume that if they provide time-limited employment contracts, they can let those contracts expire without worrying about being sued for workplace discrimination. After all, when an employer and an individual sign a contract with an end date, it should follow that once that date comes and goes, neither has an obligation to the other, right?

Snapshot: Trend shift: Millennials now on the chopping block

09/20/2022

After suffering through the Great Recession and the pandemic, when the Great Resignation came along, millennials were among those who switched jobs for a better deal. Now they are among the most laid off.

Beware legal hazards of terminating remote employees

07/19/2022

For the first time, a significant number of remote employees may be included in layoffs. Layoffs of remote employees present unique legal hazards for employers.

Layoffs: Check job-cut list for discrimination liability

04/28/2022

Any time you must lay off employees, carefully review the list of people who will lose their jobs. Reason: Reductions-in-force are magnets for discrimination lawsuits.

Cost of an age-biased layoff plan: $2.25 million

12/22/2021

If you are planning to terminate many employees in a reduction in force, be sure to assess the possible adverse impact the RIF might have on older workers—anyone age 40 or older.

Set objective criteria for who loses job in layoff

08/05/2021

Use objective standards to decide who will stay or go during a reduction in force. That helps eliminate the chance that bias will taint the RIF process and trigger an employee lawsuit.

When & how you must notify employees of layoffs

10/20/2020

There are indications layoffs will rise again in the fourth quarter of 2020 as covid-19 cases edge upward again. And as layoffs increase, the threat of WARN Act lawsuits grows more acute for employers that do not follow the layoff notification rules.

5 million older workers lost their jobs as virus surged

10/06/2020

Racial and gender discrimination are rightfully under examination at many workplaces, as employers strive for diversity in hiring. However, another bias is impacting companies as well: ageism.

Document performance problems to justify RIF list

09/24/2020

Use objective criteria when deciding who will keep or lose their job during a reduction in force. Then be sure to document your specific, business-related reasons for handing out pink slips. That will help you prevail in court if an employee sues, alleging a RIF was based on discrimination.

Plan layoff meeting carefully

09/23/2020

Laying off an employee is never easy, but not thinking about it won’t help. It’s better to plan your meeting with the employee in detail, including the steps you should take before the meeting. These tips should help.