Layoffs

Steer Clear of ‘Take It or Leave It’ Early-Retirement Offers

03/01/2006

If you plan to lay off employees, structure early-retirement offers carefully to avoid age-discrimination lawsuits. In particular, avoid making "take-it or leave-it" offers that force employees to choose between resigning with a severance package or being terminated …

Know the ‘Cooling Off’ Period for Age-Bias Waivers

01/01/2006

Q. Can you tell me if there’s a law that says a 45-day waiting period must exist from the time employees are told they’ll be laid off until they receive the severance payment? Supposedly, this is called a cooling-off period. Is this a federal law? —T.M., Pennsylvania

Don’t ask employees to sign away their FMLA rights

09/01/2005

In severance agreements, employers typically require employees to sign promises not to file employment-related lawsuits. But don’t try to include FMLA rights in that
waiver.
Why? A new ruling …

Maintain ties with laid-off employees

07/01/2005

Don’t just throw those fish back in the water, keep them on a line with smart moves. Examples: A financial firm created a tuition fund for laid-off workers, hoping they would …

Design your career ‘disaster plan’ now, before you need it

04/01/2005

Issue: You know how to help employees who are fired or laid off. But HR people often forget those principals when facing that
problem themselves.
Benefit: With proper planning …

Ignorance of law is no defense for layoff-notice violation

05/01/2004

If your organization is weighing a plant closing or employee layoff, determine early whether you’re required to give employees notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Courts won’t …

Most employers fail to follow layoff-notice rules

03/01/2004

Expect federal regulators to look closer for organizations failing to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The law requires certain employers to give 60 days’ notice of …

When deciding layoffs, rely on several objective factors

02/01/2004

When making the tough call about who receives a layoff notice (and defending that decision in court), rely on more than one evaluation tool.
Why? Overly rosy performance evaluations are …

Brush up on WARN Act rules; fed report prompts more scrutiny

12/01/2003

Count on hearing more about the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act in the coming months. Reason: Employers comply with the law (which requires 60-days’ notice of mass layoffs or …

Scrutinize true reasons for layoff; then banish all inconsistencies

11/01/2003

No one likes to choose among employees for company-mandated layoffs. But if you’re given this task, research and recommend choices with defensible reasons that you can back up. Don’t manufacture termination …