No matter how you say it, terminations – whether they involve a single employee or a large-scale layoff – are probably one of the least favorite parts of your job.

Along with the emotional stress they cause, terminations can also pose tremendous legal risks. Make one mistake in the firing process, and things can easily explode into expensive, embarrassing claims and lawsuits from your former employees.

There are so many different ways to get it wrong:

• You may think your severance agreement protects you, but a common error renders it unenforceable.
• You say something to a departing employee in the heat of the moment that is prime lawsuit fodder later on.
• Your supervisor has written glowing performance evaluations for a terrible employee you’ve just fired; the documentation suggests retaliation.
• You make an error calculating the final paycheck – or you withhold funds from departing employees that you’re not lawfully allowed to deduct.

Order this in-depth, practical 90-minute audio conference recording all about the right (and wrong) ways to terminate employees. You’ll learn the best ways to prepare for terminations and handle those meetings with employees, as well as how to get your pre-termination files in order and what you can and cannot deduct from final paychecks.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• The most common termination-related mistakes employers make – and how to avoid repeating them
• Why you must handle even voluntary separations with care
• Why you must prepare for the possibility of termination even before you hire an employee
• The specific policies and practices you need in place to lawsuit-proof your company before you terminate another employee
• What you should always say – and what you must never say – when letting an employee go
• How to review your severance agreements to make sure they’re binding, and risky language to watch out for
• The crucial post-termination steps you must take to stay out of legal trouble
• What to do when an employee fired for cause later asks you for a job reference
• The unique risks involved in group layoffs, as well as terminations involving older workers
• What you can – and cannot – deduct from a terminated worker’s last paycheck

Margaret M. DiBianca, Esq., is an associate in the employment group of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP. She devotes her practice to counseling clients in employment law compliance and defending employers in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies. Also, she regularly provides in-house training to managers and supervisors and teaches best-practice seminars to human resource professionals and in-house counsel. She is the acting editor of DelawareEmploymentLawBlog.com. DiBianca earned her law degree at Villanova Law School.

Approved for Recertification Credit

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI home page at www.hrci.org.

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