But don't back down and don't apologize for your assertion. During this discussion, make it clear who their direct supervisor will be and whether that person is permanently or temporarily in charge. Rarely is an employee ever fired on the spot unless that individual is a threat to the safety of other workers or involved in criminal activity. It is not enough merely to suspect that an employee has violated a business policy.

In our current sue happy world, it only takes one small mistake to find yourself going to court over a illegal separation hearing. Discussion of Unemployment: Since the lay off was not the fault of the employee, your workers will be eligible for unemployment, unless they only worked part-time or less than one year at the company. And it is important to fire this employee. In case you have an "emergency" dismissal, you can follow this shortcut: For you, he can be as "sick" as he needs. If you separate both, you would get a improper lay off claim for sexual harassment from both women. Employee investigations before dismissal should be a team effort among supervisors. After a terminating, a disgruntled former jobholder can disclose firm information to competitors, file grievances with agencies like OSHA, and return to the workplace threatening violence. That way, he or she has time to think about the firing before going home and facing her or his family. Step 1 in How to separate Someone: Document Everything. If nothing else, it will keep your small company out of the headlines and where it should be headed, towards success. If you have an employee who abuses alcohol, your first choice is to get them some help.