| Dismissing an employee may sometimes invite | | | | outgoing employee is to offer outplacement |
| lawsuits, which are often costly and drain precious | | | | counseling. |
| company resources. However, firing an employee | | | | 10. If a company discovers it has made a mistake |
| and staying out of lawsuit can be attained. | | | | in hiring an employee, it is better to acknowledge |
| Here are tips for handling employee dismissal with | | | | the mistake at any level, and then move on. |
| the lesser chance of being sued: | | | | 11. Discharging an employee may bring with it the |
| 1. It is best to suspend an offending employee | | | | risk of legal expenses - regardless of whether |
| first, investigate the incident, and then decide | | | | there is just cause or the company would just |
| what to do later. | | | | like to prevail in the end. |
| 2. The drafting of terms of separation must be | | | | 12. Most of the time, employee separation |
| done long before a lawsuit is filed. | | | | agreements are worth the trouble, effort, time |
| 3. The manager should control the timing of the | | | | and expenses. It saved the valuable resources of |
| termination interview and plan it ahead of time. | | | | the company. |
| 4. A "buyout" of the employment relationship is | | | | Negotiating Points |
| the best course of action to take. | | | | Severance pay is usually equivalent to one week's |
| 5. In a termination interview, the manager should | | | | salary per year of service. Payment of the |
| inform the employee about the purpose of the | | | | employee's maintaining health insurance is |
| meeting is to inform the employee about his | | | | mandated under the COBRA rules. An employer is |
| termination and the company's willingness to enter | | | | not required to give severance pay to an |
| into a termination agreement. | | | | employee unless an employment contract requires |
| 6. The key point of a termination meeting is that | | | | it. |
| the employee is no longer negotiating the | | | | On the other hand, an employee may negotiate a |
| discharge but the terms of separation. | | | | severance package in exchange for any legal |
| 7. Generally, the most important negotiating points | | | | claims against your employer. |
| of the termination agreement are the severance | | | | The purpose of a severance package is to create |
| pay and the continuation of medical insurance until | | | | goodwill between the employee and the |
| the employees finds another job. | | | | management. The idea of the severance package |
| 8. The company may waive its right to object to | | | | is aimed at ameliorating any resentment the |
| any unemployment-compensation claim. | | | | departing employee might feel against the |
| 9. The best step an employer can do to help an | | | | company. |