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Term over the phone?

HRsageHRsage 409 Posts
in HR & Employment Law Vote Up0Vote Down
Okay I need some opinions from you guys. I need to term someone today that lives 2 hours away. Should I have this person drive all the way out here just to meet with me for a few minutes to term in person? Or should I just do it over the phone and save them the trip? In CA we have to give the person the final pay and pink slip at the time of term, so I probably just answered my own question. What do you think?
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  • 9 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • cebudragonladycebudragonlady 405 Posts
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    In CA, when termming - you have 24hrs to pay the final wages. My suggestions: term over the phone early in the morning, make a memorandum of the conversation/actions taken to put in the personnel file, send the paycheck by overnight mail requiring a signature.

    Chari
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  • HRsageHRsage 409 Posts
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    Thanks for the suggestions. I think that the final wages are due immendiately based on Section 201 of the CA labor code. So, I'm just going to meet them in person. They shouldn't have done what they did to get fired in the first place. Thanks again. :)
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  • scottorrscottorr 599 Posts
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    I would immediately overnight the check, COBRA info, along with a term letter, return receipt requested. Send it today! Once you know the check has left, call the ee immediately and term. The letter is just a paper back-up. Make sure you keep a copy of the letter and the return receipt in the ee's file.
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  • hrbankerhrbanker 243 Posts
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    I agree. My concern would be the 2 hour ride back home when the ex-employee is angry, upset, tearful, or maybe stops along the way to get blasted. I don't think the company would have a liability for an accident, but why give fodder to the ambulance chasers?
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  • Margaret MorfordMargaret Morford 1,143 Posts
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    [font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-15-03 AT 05:32PM (CST)[/font][p]Could you drive the two hours to meet them rather than making them drive two hours to be fired?

    More important, does this person report to you? If not, why isn't their manager driving two hours to fire them and not you?

    Margaret Morford
    theHRedge
    615-371-8200
    [email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
    [url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]
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  • HRsageHRsage 409 Posts
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    [font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-15-03 AT 06:33PM (CST)[/font][p]Actually I already met with the person. He came in and met me. What I did was pay him the call back time to meet with me and I added 2 hours for the drive because I'm a nice guy.:) He got fired for something that he did wrong so I don't think it should have to be up to us to go to him, plus he chose to take a job 2 hours away. I do all the firing for my company (sorry Pork- I can hear him now) just because of HR being the ones trained to do it properly (most of the time). I work for a big company so there's no getting around that. Thanks for all your suggestions though. It's always much appreciated.


    EDIT: okay get this. I just found out that he didn't even live 2 hours away. He lives about 15 minutes away- he just said that because he was too embarrassed to come in and get fired. I don't usually work at this location so I don't know everybody and where they live or how far other cities are, I just took him on his word. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks again.
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  • ritaanzritaanz 2,665 Posts
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    Reminds me of a termination I did a few years ago. We had a sales rep located in Georgia. The Sales Manager made arrangements to meet with him at the airport in Georgia on the guise of exchanging quote books. Well, the sales rep never showed but called the Sales Manager on his cell phone and told him that he was unable to meet with him that day. I think he suspected he was going to be fired.

    Since the rep worked out of his home the Sales Manager rented a car a drove to the rep's house. The rep refused to answer the door (his car was parked in the driveway) or answer his phone. The Sales Manager called me at work and told me he was unable to terminate the rep. No problem. I faxed his termination.
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  • NatNat 207 Posts
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    I actually had an employee tell me that I couldn't fire them over the telephone. I wanted to tell them that I would get a sky writer to do it, but thought better of it. It's not the best situation but sometimes that's all you can do - might not want to leave the message on the answering machine though.
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  • SystemSystem 5,885 Posts
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    >Okay I need some opinions from you guys. I need to term someone today
    >that lives 2 hours away. Should I have this person drive all the way
    >out here just to meet with me for a few minutes to term in person? Or
    >should I just do it over the phone and save them the trip? In CA we
    >have to give the person the final pay and pink slip at the time of
    >term, so I probably just answered my own question. What do you think?



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