Start Your New Year Off By Checking Your Termination Policies

2008-12-27T22:04:00.001-06:00

You're fired!

Sorry to start your New Year out that way on a new blog, but I needed to get your attention!

I normally don't represent businesses in my employment law practice (though I have in the past and do so once in a while now). I typically represent employees who believe they have been wrongfully terminated or wrongfully denied unemployment benefits.

Still, when management and human resources does their job properly, they actually make my job as an employee's lawyer easier. Maybe not more lucrative, but easier.

Employment policies that not only comply with state and federal laws but document past poor performance and behavior and give legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for termination make life fairer to the person terminated and less litigious for all.

As an employee's attorney, if I see a file where the company has documented poor performance through time, it makes it more difficult to bring a lawsuit. There is much less left to the terminated employee's imagination. (Caveat: Sometimes companies do use surface legitimate reasons to hide discriminatory actions.)

While it might sound like an unpleasant chore to look at how your evaluate and terminate at your company, it could well be money and time well spent.

For one resource that might give you some good ideas, look at LegalWorkplace.com's HR Resolutions For 2009.

The Epp Law Report

Start Your New Year Off By Checking Your Termination Policies