A few months ago, I mentioned that one of our former employees launched a complaint against us with the Ministry of Labour (yet still thought it wise to come visit us and pretend like everything was just fine). I won't get into the specifics of the case, but this employee was let go for cause. There's really no way an impartial juror could think otherwise. Nonetheless, we didn't want to take any chances, and we knew that our former employee made a very sympathetic figure.
Consequently, I spent weeks preparing our case. I went through email logs, financial records, computer files and personnel files. It took quite a while, but I was able to present the labour board with a response that consisted of, approximately, 80 pages. Through her complaint, among other issues, the former employee had put a tremendous administrative strain on our office. No ethereal form of justice could possibly allow a finding against us.
Today we received a response. Justice, you'll be happy to know, is alive and well.
*And, yes, before Mrs. JMR, a student of theology, objects, I know that this is totally not what Karma is. I just wanted a title.
Showing posts with label Termination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Termination. Show all posts
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
I Really Should See this Movie
These days, I don't have a lot of time to pay attention to what movies are playing. Mrs. JMR and I have a lot of other commitments, and, generally, those things we do for fun are going to be toddler-appropriate. Consequently, I didn't pay much attention when the recent George Clooney flick, Up In The Air, was released. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I learned that it was about something near and dear to my heart, sacking people.
From what I've read, it's a quirky movie that's more about human connections than employee terminations (and understandably so). And, apparently, it's pretty good, having just won the Golden Globe for best screenplay, and employing (no pun intended) one of the more amiable actors working today. Aside from all this, I'm interested to see how they deal with someone who's job it is to terminate people. It's been my experience that there is a general misunderstanding of the realm of employee terminations. I have been involved in the terminations of probably 20 to 30 people - certainly not a lot, but enough to gain a little insight into process.
Conducting terminations isn't easy, and it certainly isn't for everyone. It requires a seemingly paradoxical mix of empathy, detachment and the possession of a thick skin. To be properly motivated, one has to keep in mind the big picture, the fact that properly conducted terminations positively affect the workings of the company; to be efficient and effective, one has to remained focus on the narrowly-defined issues at hand, not allowing the employee to derail the process.
In the past, I have willingly taken on the role of terminating employees. I have done this because I was confident that I could handle the situation with tact, ensuring a respectful termination for the employee while also safeguarding the interests of the company. In fact, I'd be willing to have an Up In The Air-type job. I would have no problem being employed to terminate people... as long as I was also able to guide the company in their processes that lead to termination. Properly employed, such processes should benefit everyone at the company. They should lead to fewer terminations, and that's what every company should want.
So, maybe, in the coming months I'll watch the movie. And maybe I'll start a new feature at JMR, movie reviews.
From what I've read, it's a quirky movie that's more about human connections than employee terminations (and understandably so). And, apparently, it's pretty good, having just won the Golden Globe for best screenplay, and employing (no pun intended) one of the more amiable actors working today. Aside from all this, I'm interested to see how they deal with someone who's job it is to terminate people. It's been my experience that there is a general misunderstanding of the realm of employee terminations. I have been involved in the terminations of probably 20 to 30 people - certainly not a lot, but enough to gain a little insight into process.
Conducting terminations isn't easy, and it certainly isn't for everyone. It requires a seemingly paradoxical mix of empathy, detachment and the possession of a thick skin. To be properly motivated, one has to keep in mind the big picture, the fact that properly conducted terminations positively affect the workings of the company; to be efficient and effective, one has to remained focus on the narrowly-defined issues at hand, not allowing the employee to derail the process.
In the past, I have willingly taken on the role of terminating employees. I have done this because I was confident that I could handle the situation with tact, ensuring a respectful termination for the employee while also safeguarding the interests of the company. In fact, I'd be willing to have an Up In The Air-type job. I would have no problem being employed to terminate people... as long as I was also able to guide the company in their processes that lead to termination. Properly employed, such processes should benefit everyone at the company. They should lead to fewer terminations, and that's what every company should want.
So, maybe, in the coming months I'll watch the movie. And maybe I'll start a new feature at JMR, movie reviews.
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