If your small business's securities trade publicly and the laid off worker was an officer or director of the company, you should inform the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is an intimidating action to do at first, since you're sending a terminated worker into unemployment. If you ever again [exhibit specific bad behaviors] or have other performance drops, you should expect further discipline which could include immediate separation. Even if you don't want to let the individual go, for the sake of the company, you have to let them go. For a medium risk lay off, you can fire right away, but you have increased legal exposure. It is always best to leave a dismissed worker with their dignity. And worse yet, by telling the employee you disagree with the "higher-ups," he can use your comment to prove wrongful separation. If the jobholder continues to be insubordinate, however, you'll have no choice but to carry through with rehabilitative actions.

Discipline in the workplace by Hr Departments is always tense and any steps that you can take to help are a plus. Examples of gross misconduct include gross disobedience, hitting a supervisor or falsifying records. I base my overall approach to dismissals on compassion for the terminated worker. Don't tell coworkers or subordinates about the layoff before it happens. If it does become necessary to fire a worker, you must handle the matter with as much discretion and dignity as possible. A special note about workforce' compensation: You can't fire an employee because she has taken advantage of personnel' compensation. I have written this chapter from the perspective of involuntary terminations (firings and dismissals). Now and then these workers have a following of other coworkers who are just as abusive and bad.