Due to this, you must use the lay off notice to fully disclose the grounds for separation. Discuss the return of property belonging to the company such as ID badges, laptops, credit cards, cell phones and company cars. How To Protect You And Your company When Giving References. If you're dealing with a troubled (or troublemaking) employee, this can be a blessing because without having to deal with difficult employees can be wearing, both to the workplace and the supervisor. Do not leave anything open to interpretation. For example, don't sack someone the day before Christmas or right before he and his wife take their kids to Disney World. Although the small business probably has a "name, rank and serial number only" reference policy, probably your managers and workers are giving reference interviews against the policy. A brief set of notes will help you be sure to "cover all the bases" when you call the employee in for the firing interview. Even if he or she is the worst employee imaginable, you'll still find yourself reluctant to perform the layoff. Can't you layoff them for any reason during their probationary period?

For example, you might say, "Workers who fail to wash their hands after using the rest room will receive one day suspension after the first offense, three days after the second offense, and layoff after the third offense." Or, it could be more general, such as "Employees who fail to wash their hands after using the rest room will face suspension and possible separation." How much leeway you wish to give yourself when it comes to disciplinary action is up to you. (Here you'll also want to note any worker benefits the worker will receive. * Have you warned the jobholder? First, write a note to the problem employee's workers file or to Hr. Be careful when giving reasons for layoff.