Without provoking the alleged offender, you might say, “In order for us to conduct a complete investigation, please leave the premises now and refrain from working until you receive a call from us.” The last thing you want is for the accused to become violent in the workplace.
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Ask the employee what personal items they need immediately from their desk, and send another employee to bring those items into your office. Tell the terminated employee you will send any other personal items to their home. Do not let them go back to their desk or use the computer.
3. Terminate immediately
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If you witness the incident, the perpetrator admits wrongdoing or both employees acted inappropriately, you’ll need to terminate one or both of them immediately. Use these steps to avoid a potentially hot-tempered situation:
If the employee has company property, such as electronic devices, at home, tell him you need those back within 24 hours. If you don’t want the employee to return to the premises, send a courier to his home to retrieve the items.
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Someone should escort the terminated employee out of the building and watch until the employee is off the property. In certain cases, you may want to have a security guard in close proximity to the termination meeting. If the employee becomes belligerent or violent, you may need the security guard‘s assistance.
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In some situations, you may decide for safety reasons that it is best to terminate an employee over the phone.
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Call the person into your office. Try to be logical and keep emotion out of it. You might say: “This meeting is to address events that happened today between you and (the other person). As you know, we have a zero tolerance policy for violence in the workplace. Several individuals witnessed you threatening to harm another employee. Due to this, we’re ending your employment immediately.”
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It’s a good idea to have another person in the meeting.
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Be sure all network access is cut off before the terminated employee leaves the building. Take all company laptops, cell phones, etc.
May 2017
Find out more about your rights and responsibilities as an employer. Download free e-book, - Employment Law: Are You Putting Your Business at Risk? http://www.insperity.com/guide/ employment-law-putting-business-risk/
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