Tag: Firing

Six Critical Steps to Take to Effectively and Professionally Terminate an Employee

If you’re like most HR professionals, you probably don’t enjoy terminating employees. In fact, you probably would prefer to avoid it altogether. However, sometimes it’s part of the job and there are those employees who simply need to be delivered the bad news. Here are six steps to take to effectively and professionally terminate an […]

Age discrimination or legitimate termination? Firing a 65-year-old can be tricky

What should an employer do when faced with a longtime manager with stellar performance reviews who doesn’t adhere to company policy, misses deadlines, has been written up for sexual harassment, and may be responsible for committing fraud? And does it complicate the situation if that manager is 65 years old?  Those were questions recently put […]

Moneyball tips on letting less productive players go

Part of our mission here is to keep all you bibliophiles out there engaged and entertained. (I happen to be one, so I know we’re a rare breed.) Our book today is Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

Zombies, unicorns, and employment law―oh, my!

by Boyd Byers My 15-year-old daughter is an avid reader. She also has an offbeat sense of humor (which she must get from her mother). So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find a book titled Zombies vs. Unicorns lying around the house. “It’s a question as old as time itself: Which is better, […]

Many Arizona state employees become “at will”

by Tammy Binford Most new state government workers in Arizona soon will be at-will employees thanks to a new law overhauling the state personnel system that goes into effect September 29. The new law consolidates nine different personnel systems in the executive branch and converts new hires, attorneys, supervisors, and several other high-level employees to […]

At-Will Employment: Employer’s Dream or Toothless Tiger?

The old saying goes that the devil is in the details. When considering the doctrine of at-will employment, it may be more correct to say the answers are in the details. But, that doesn’t mean some of those details aren’t a bit devilish to decipher. HR professionals often struggle with termination decisions. The decision is […]

Star Performer Says He Benefited from Firing

In the book Bear Bryant On Leadership: Life Lessons from a Six-Time National Championship Coach, one of the legendary football coach’s former players says, “The best thing Coach Bryant did for me was kick me off the team.” Now, it might seem surprising for a college football player to say being kicked off the team […]

Importance of Documentation in Employment Disputes

by Gary S. Fealk Discipline and termination are issues for virtually all employers. However, many employers make employment decisions with incomplete knowledge of the events leading to the discipline or termination. Having a system for investigating and documenting workplace incidents helps employers make decisions with better knowledge of the facts. Proper documentation also reduces the […]

Being Replaced by Computer Program Isn’t Age Discrimination

Who knows? In 20 years, there might be a robot writing these articles; we’ve faced that reality. Eventually, we may all be phased out by machines, programs, and metallic entities, the likes of which we’ve yet to even imagine. As the world has become more automated and efficient, we have all witnessed downsizing and have […]

Court Upholds $923,656 Back-Pay Award

On May 31, the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision awarding $923,656 in back pay to a terminated employee of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), an agency of the U.S. government. The decision shows the damages available to employees that prove retaliation based on the filing of an Equal Employment […]