How to Break the Bad News, Dimissing a Employee with Dignity. It is an important part of the overall termination procedure. I have seen some lay offs where the company asks the boss to dismiss his organization and then the firm fires the boss later in the day. If you're giving cash as part of your guideline severance, then include this in another check to keep the accounting straight. I recommend you send a hard copy of the layoff documents (lay off letter, separation contract, COBRA notice, final paycheck and severance check) to the jobholder's home address by certified mail, return-receipt requested. For example, obviously explain the grounds for separation; whether it is a dismissing for cause, a layoff, or restructuring. If a suit is filed, this wastes more firm resources. Legal watch-out #1: Avoid saying anything in the meeting the employee might construe as unlawful bias. And you will hear many excuses from these employees.

Besides, you'll decrease the chance of a potential legal action from the workers. In today's society, you must follow a proven separation process to avoid lawsuits. Frankly, the business owner or supervisor just screws up. Each act has specific standards that state why an employer can and can't fire an employee. If a consistently tardy employee shows up late to work again, don't wait until the end of the shift or the next day to confront them. Before you ever hire your first employee, you must create clear, consistent, and thorough employee policies and processes.