ex employee harrassment

sohappytobe

I have an ex-employee (terminated due to misconduct) who continuously calls and leaves messages demanding fair treatment, threatening to sue, etc. What options do employers have in a situation like that?

Don D

If you use a labor attorney occasionally, ask him to have a letter written to the individual. The attorney will know where to take it from there. It'll cost you at least an hour and a half at his normal rate.

If you want to postpone that, write your own, telling the individual that you will contact your attorney if it happens again.

sonny

In the meantime, I assume you are ignoring the messages?

sohappytobe

I've been saving the messages and instructing the other employees to do the same, not responding at all hoping that it will fizzle out. But it is annoying to all of us who get the phone calls almost daily.

Rockie

Yes, I would contact my attorney and have them draft a letter. This person is interfering with the normal course of your business. Usually, the letter will do the trick.

dchr9203

I wouldn't ignore it. If the employee is angry enough to continue calling, there's no way to know how far they will go, including violence, and trust me, you never know! I would have the corporate attorney write a letter and if that didn't work, check into filing a restraining order or something.

ritaanz

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-21-04 AT 09:53AM (CST)[/font][br][br]I wouldn't waste my time. Delete the message. If he were going to sue, you would have heard from his lawyer. You might want to make a memo to his file regarding the calls.

Don D

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-22-04 AT 05:31AM (CST)[/font][br][br]Yes, Ritaanz, that file memo will be helpful for the prosecution after this guy shoots up the place. Good suggestion.

My medical specialty is psychiatry. The man is angry. When an angry person is ignored, the anger escalates. When anger escalates, unfortunate things happen.

DMK

I agree. Definitely do NOT ignore this situation. Send a company letter telling him the consequences for continued behavior but keep it civil. Be empathetic to his situation but firm and civil. If it continues, get your attorney involved immediately.

ritaanz

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 10-22-04 AT 11:48AM (CST)[/font][br][br]If he is as angry as you think he is, wouldn't a letter from an attorney inflame him more?

Again, I would not react to his calls.

marc

I would think ignoring for the first couple of days would be appropriate, but if the behavior persists, then it should be addressed.

There have been some good suggestions made, I would favor approaching a bit like progressive discipline. Initially a phone call or letter requesting the inappropriate contact stop. If that doesn't do it, the attorney letter sounds like a good next step, followed by a restraining order. Steps after that have the police arresting the ex-EE for violating the terms of a restraining order.

sohappytobe

wonderful insight from you all ... thank you kindly.