What is Involuntary Termination? and the different types of terminations
- On 22 April 2022
- Posted by Chantal Mariotti
Human resources professionals certainly know the meaning of “involuntary termination”. But for those of you out there who are confused about the meaning, please read on.
There are different types of terminations, or situations as to how or why an individual’s employment ends.
Voluntary termination
This is when an employee voluntarily leaves their employment. Typically, the employee would provide a two-weeks’ notice, but often times, they don’t. They just inform their employer that they are leaving. When this happens, it is always important to have a conversation with this employee prior to their departure, to find out the reason why they wish to leave. This is not a law, but certainly an HR best practice!
Is your employee leaving because of a personal family matter? Because he/she doesn’t enjoy their work? Or worst, is it because they feel harassed at work, and chose just to leave instead of reporting the unacceptable behavior? This is why it is vital you have that conversation with the departing employee, to find out exactly the reason why they are leaving your employ.
Exit interviews are a great way to get feedback from any employee that voluntarily resigns. The employees’ responses give you great insight as to how you are doing as an employer. Some of the questions posed during an exit interview may include:
- Did you enjoy working for our company?
- What did you like the most?
- How was your relationship with your supervisor?
- Did you have all of the tools you needed to complete your assignments?
- Did you feel supported by your supervisor?
- Were you paid on time?
- Did you find our benefits package was comprehensive, and met your needs?
- Etc…
Lay Off or Position Elimination
Sometimes, due to business needs, a cut in staff is necessary. In these cases, should you need to terminate an employee, it would be classified as a “lay-off” or an elimination of position. The lay-off may be temporary, or permanent, depending on your needs, and the elimination of position is permanent.
Involuntary termination
An involuntary termination is when an employee does not wish to leave their job; it is “involuntary”.
In order for an employer to process this type of termination, they must have “all of their ducks in a row”, to make sure the termination is sound, and not open to litigation. The employer should have all of the back up documentation to support their decision to terminate an employee, including the progressive discipline used, and the employee handbook, outlining what behaviors or infractions could lead to immediate dismissal of employment. We covered this in an earlier blog, so please click here for the full information: https://executivehrconsulting.com/our-blog/how-many-write-ups-before-termination.
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