No one likes to fire an employee. You may be concerned about hurting the feelings of a likable, yet unproductive, worker. You may know how financially devastating it will be for a hard worker that you can no longer afford to pay. Or, you may be worried about a violent response to the news of termination. Regardless, there are government regulations to comply with and firing procedures that you will want to follow to avoid perils, such as getting sued.
您是否有法律理由解雇员工？
Termination is usually due to job performance or your business’s need to reduce the number of employees. But firing an employee is not that simple.
Be sure employment is “at will”
在美国，大多数就业都是“随意的”。这意味着员工可以辞职，或者您可以随时出于或没有原因解雇员工。但是，有一些法律可以保护员工免于因歧视而不公平解雇，您可能会面临诉讼的时间和费用。
Will the firing be discriminatory, or look like discrimination?
To legally fire an employee, be sure that the firing could not be considered discriminatory. There are federal laws that protect workers from being fired due to age, gender, race, disability, genetics,国籍, or religion. In addition, yourstate可以保护其他团体或将法律适用于雇员较少的企业（例如，联邦法律适用于至少15名员工与俄亥俄州至少4名员工的企业。
More unlawful reasons to fire an employee
还有其他原因可以将射击视为非法。例如，不得向员工提交合法报告OSHA(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)–sometimes referred to as being a whistleblower. Also, employees who take time off to servejury duty, perform military service (protected byUSERRA military离开），或采取病假are also protected.
Can you fire someone for behavior outside of the workplace?
Yes, you can … sometimes. For example, do you know someone who was fired for things they posted on social media?
作为雇主，您有权解雇一个违反业务道德守则的个人，即使是异地。您希望您的员工符合公司的最大利益，on or off the clock。同样，在工作之外执行的任何非法行动都可能导致终止。它归结为这一点：如果您觉得有原因使员工被终止，以造成对您的业务损害的外部行为，则可以解雇他们。
Your state may have restrictions to follow, and there is always the chance that the employee will sue you. Depending on the nature of your business, you may want tocreate an employment contractthat stipulates your expectations for off-duty behavior. It is also a good idea to address these concerns in youremployee handbook。
如何解雇员工
It shouldn’t be a surprise to the employee when they are fired for poor performance, as long as you have been communicating your concerns. On the other hand, if you have to let an employee go because business is bad, they could be blindsided.
Check your records
If you are terminating an employee for cause, it is important to have a record of the individual’s behavior in their employee file. Helpful items保留在员工文件中includeperformance reviews，任何违规行为的轶事笔记，帮助或重新培训员工的努力，纪律处分等。会议。
如果您在员工手册中有有关员工行为或员工终止过程的信息，请准备在与员工见面时共享信息。
Do your homework
尝试预测问题，并为员工提供答案或资源。做好准备！您所在州的要求是什么，员工何时会收到他们的要求final paycheck吗?员工有义务或未完成的工作吗that needs to be reassigned? What’s thecost of firing an employeegoing to mean for your team? Determine the employee’s last day (e.g., today, Friday, one week, etc.). In case it differs from federal regulations, does your state require you to offer continuation of insurance coverage (眼镜蛇)?
决定时间和地点
如果员工有一个带门的私人办公室，那可能是最好的见面场所。员工会感到最放松，您可以在谈话结束时离开房间。您将需要简短的对话；通常大约15分钟。私人空间还使员工有机会在面对客户或同事之前重组。
如果员工没有私人办公室，则可以使用其他任何私人场所进行对话。
在决定与工人见面的一天时，请考虑您的其他员工。如果周五晚些时候被解雇的员工从建筑物中踩出去，您的其他员工会想知道他们是否会成为下一个？周末未解决问题，可能会导致周一阴沉，无效的星期一。
如果您预计员工可能会变得有争议或可能是暴力的，那么当您解雇员工时，您可能希望证人甚至警察出席。
尊重并避免争论
Get to the point right away rather than making small talk. For example, it would be awkward to laugh together about a recent event just before telling the employee it’s their last day of employment.
非常清楚 - 不要试图用模糊的陈述来软化打击，例如“我认为我必须放手。”坚定而尊重地说明您正在终止其雇用，以及终止有效的日期。您的任何犹豫或模糊性都可能鼓励员工试图说服您。
You won’t want to list the good things about the worker either. Remember that if the employee chooses to fight the firing in court, your words could be used against you. Just stick to business and give the employee the necessary information about final compensation, unemployment, COBRA, etc.
Some bosses feel guilty when they fire someone and worry about taking away the employee’s livelihood. In reality, the employee is just as likely to land on their feet. After getting fired, many workers have gone on to find their niche and success.
松散的末端
After you’ve notified the employee of termination:
- 记得收集任何键,制服,设备,etc.
- 确认其他人涵盖了所有职责和未完成的工作。
- Notify your healthcare provider that the employee will be wanting COBRA coverage.
- Be aware of the effect the firing has had on morale for your remaining workers.
在员工终止过程中的其他考虑因素
美国劳工部网站提供有关保护雇员的法规的最新信息，包括《公平劳工标准法》（flsa) and终止。Yourstate website将涵盖您需要遵守的任何其他法律要求。您可能还需要考虑以下内容以避免不必要的诉讼：
- Some employers have the terminated employee sign a release form that states that the reason for dismissal has been explained.
- You must tell the employee that they may be eligible for unemployment benefits. If the employee applies for unemployment, it may be in your best interest to not fight their request.
- Keep their personnel file, in case you need to defend your actions.
Disclaimer：每种情况都是独一无二的，您的州可能有自己的法规和解雇员工的繁文tape节。使用此列表和提供的链接作为员工终止过程的概述。
当员工被解雇后，您需要一种安全的方法来保留其工资记录。爱国者为您提供一个简单，准确，负担得起的解决方案 -online payrollsoftware to keep those records as well as run payroll for your remaining employees. Try it for free!