Try to imagine it is Wednesday afternoon you are at work and are thinking about what you are going to have for dinner when you get home. Your boss unexpectedly calls you into his office. He asks you to sit down and doesn't waist any time in telling you that you are being "let go."" You are shocked, speechless; you didn't even see it coming. What did you do, what did you do wrong? A million thoughts are run through your head. Meanwhile your boss is calming explaining that you need to clean out your desk or work area and clock out. You have been fired! My last job ended this exact way. No explanation, no details of why and no prior warnings. I am going to explain to you how my boss should have handled this situation to prevent a wrongful discharge lawsuit being filed against him. .
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Let me first explain that Michigan is an "at-will-employment" state. Under the "at-will-employment rule", an employee is free to terminate his or her employment relationship at any time for any reason and the employer is likewise permitted to terminate the employee with no reason. With the exception of a few federal and state statutes this rule holds true. There are steps that if followed can be the most effective way to handle this delicate situation. Let me explain to you how to avoid putting yourself as a manager, and your employer is a position of a potential lawsuit. .
If you are the manager and an employee's performance becomes substandard then progressive discipline is one way of addressing the issue. There is no magic to progressive discipline because it is simply a system that imposes progressively greater disciplinary measures upon an employee and that ends with discharge if performance does not improve. The advantages of a progressive discipline system are significant. .
Progressive Discipline Slide .
Progressive discipline begins with issuing a verbal warning to the employee.
