If you fire an employee for "cause," a clear, well-written statement of the reasons for the dismissal will inhibit any future law suit by the worker. 14) Give the employee his final paycheck and guideline severance check and say thank you for his contributions to the company. 2) State directly you're separating the employee and the effective date. I advise that you don't use a heavy-handed sales approach, but stress the fairness of the package and how much the jobholder will lose if he doesn't sign. First, you can find someone in your organization to coach the problem employee. Firing workforce is not an easy task and firing workforce tactfully to avoid legal recourse is challenging. Also, to keep the worker's anger as low as possible, keep the tone of this letter as polite as possible while still giving a truthful separation reason. But, if you're cutting the job on the account of economic conditions and competitive pressure, separate the worker and negotiate a release of claims after the fact. *If you have decided to separate the jobholder committing theft, have the firing papers drawn up and cut a check for their remaining pay. For the most part, this takes the form of workers who are comedians and spend more time being funny than doing work. It is easier to keep track of your personnel in a small business. Last week your worker came to work reeking of alcohol, and you terminate him on the spot.

For example, we can't say "resign or be separated." When we give ultimatums like this or make life unbearable for the high-risk worker, the employee can still sue us for illegal layoff when he resigns. Here's an example of using progressive discipline for gross misbehavior. 2) The jobholder meets with his attorney.