Of course with a voluntary layoff, the company may not meet its layoff quotas. You are the supervisor and you need to deliver the message and stand with your workforce when you do so. This may make it necessary to find legal counsel who can aid you decide if it terminating is even a possibility. Since this is such an important step in the dismissal method, you must plan ahead of time what you will say to the worker. o Dishonesty on important company matters. Your tone in a verbal notice should be "helpful" not "threatening." For example, you should say, "With these corrective actions, I'm sure your performance will upgrade." This is better than, "If you don't make these corrections in your behavior, you'll force me to evaluate your 'fit' with the business.". The moment you suspect worker theft, gather evidence and decide punishment. o Change the employee's passwords for computer access. You should write everything up and keep copies on file. Therefore, don't be surprised that dimissing an employee like this causes heartburn. Now that you have prepared all the documentation for the lay off meeting, it is time to call the jobholder in and notify her or him of the termination. Now, no legal counsellor is going to want this case because the potential settlement will be too small.

These should cover the most common causes of dismissal. Undoubtedly, group spirit and productivity suffers. You must have this package ready for the employee during the layoff meeting. So how do sole proprietors like Melanie protect themselves when terminating employees?