Job termination Checklist For Employers. Always Document When Dimissing Workforce. Labor laws have been chipping away at employer's rights when firing workforce. Every company has policies and methods. I hope you now see that terminating a bad employee while not "fun" is the only recourse you have when you want to upgrade results and morale. Have the jobholder sign the notice so there is a record that you did meet with the employee and presented the information recorded in the reprimand notice. And the burden is on you, the employer to prove it is not true. If this was a low-risk separation, you should offer a small increased severance in return for a release. You must include a legal statement saying that her or his signature shows acceptance of the information. The sad part is they could have avoided all this if they had followed the proper layoff method.

If your company's personnel form a union, then this presents a whole new set of legalities to deal with when firing workers. Don't give a false reason to soften the blow, such as the "business is down, we just have to let you go," when the real reason is poor job productivity with three written warnings as substantiation. But it is wise to have the case thoroughly documented. In some states, you're only exempted when you have 3 or fewer employees. If you terminate an employee for this particular misbehavior you had better have papers.