Employees who commit theft often think that they can outsmart the business and will be defensive immediately. In both of these examples, the illegal separation claims are obviously bogus. Here the employer may lay off the worker with cause. Obviously lay out the goals which you're going to meet by following the new strategy. Owners and managers dole out worker reprimands many different ways, but by being up-front with workforce about the rules, enforcing those rules and fostering esprit de corps in the workplace, many employees will react positively. If you are firing a jobholder, the contents of your lay off notification are important. And worse yet, by telling the employee you disagree with the "higher-ups," he can use your comment to prove illegal separation.

If you decide the jobholder violated a gross misconduct rule, you can dismiss him immediately. In several court cases, juries have signaled that giving "one chance" for overwhelming misbehavior is fair and reasonable for long-tenured employees. The owner of the business or the worker's supervisor should sign it as well. A Hispanic worker has worked for you for 12 months. I call this meeting the "Survivors' Meeting" but you should call it officially a "Company Meeting." This helps decrease the remaining personnel' feelings of guilt. As a boss, you should set clear expectations in writing. Also document times you offered to help the worker with further training. Additionally, an employee termination form will help you make the final meeting go smoothly. As a supervisor or owner, you should not tolerate gross disobedience.