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Human Resources Management
Best Practices in Employee Termination
Name
Institution

Best Practices in Employee Termination
Case Study One –Lyle Jones
Termination of employees is not an easy thing for both parties, and especially in unexpected circumstances. The human resource department together with departmental heads must work hand-in-hand to treat staff in a humane manner even at the point of departure (Kaufman, 2015). In Lyle Jones case, handling the matter was the HRD’s responsibility. Hiring and laying-off of staffs is the mandate of the human resources and they should have been called to handle it, at the least to avoid litigation.
In as much as Lyle Jones was not an astute employee, the question is if his previous bad behavior was recorded, were warnings (oral and written) given to him, and was there a progression in his poor behavior to warrant immediate termination of his job. Secondly, whose mandate is in terminating employment of staffs at the King’s Company, and did the production supervisor (Guy Stone) act in a professional manner and in his capacity? In his capacity as production supervisor, Guy Stone overreacted and fired Mr. Jones when his emotions were high after the ‘shouting’ incidence, so most likely he was not objective and he did not take time to record the situation and forward the matter to his seniors before firing him. He also did not consider his employer’s reputation when reacting to the situation. Engaging in a shouting match at the shop floor portrayed his role in a bad light.

In HR practice, hiring and firing are the mandates of HRD, hence the Lyle Jones case was their responsibility to gauge and judge the actions to take. Based on the records kept and if there was a need to fire Jones, normally the termination process is made in writing giving the reasons for such a course of action. All his dues owed are calculated and he is given before leaving the company premises. On the other hand, Guy Stone as the supervisor should record his subordinates’ performances and give recommendations on each staff at a regular interval. Both the production department and the human resources department should have a record of the performances, behaviors, and attitudes of all staffs under his guidance. This will guide the organization in the future on how to handle different cases presented to them.
Assuming there is no record of Lyle Jones’ misconducts or poor performance or bad attitude at work, there is a risk of losing the case if it goes to trial in a court. Therefore, the HR department should meet with him and settle the matter. This is to avoid a lengthy court case, which Jones is likely to win and it will probably cost the company a lot more money and wastage of time. The HR department should equally punish Guy Stones for acting in an unprofessional manner, which cost the company money in settling Jones case, and his high-handedness will likely reduce moral among his juniors causing work conflicts.
Once the company created the supervisory role, they should clearly state what a supervisor can or cannot do. Is the supervisor role to direct and oversee all the operations of a section of the company; in this case the production department for Guy Stone; or is the term used to those with the power to hire, fire, promote, transfer, discipline, and demote. The HRD in the King’s Company should look into the 2012-13 court case of Vance versus Ball State University. In the case, the petitioner Vance sued her employer Ball State University (BSU) alleging that a fellow employee (Saundra Davis) for creating a racially hostile work environment for the African-American lady which was in violation of the Title VII. The Title VII lawsuit is on workforce management and anti-harassment training. The court ruled against Vance (the petitioner) on basis that Ms. Davis wasn’t her supervisor.
In the King’s Company case, Lyle Jones could state such harassment from the supervisor which culminated to him losing his job and he may win the court case. The company will not escape liability for not controlling the situation leading to significant change in his employment status. A similar case is the 1998 Burlington Industries Inc. V. Ellerth on sexual harassment by her male supervisor, even though the supervisor did not act on his threats.
These cases indicate the importance of companies adhering to Title VII and its implications when broken. For this case, the King’s Company should take it a learning course and put measures to avoid such incidences in future. Such measures could include the HRD training its supervisors on handling different issues at their departmental level, having a clear organizational structure with stipulations on individual roles and responsibilities, and open channels of communication (Mathieu, Fabi, Lacoursière, & Raymond, 2016).
Case Study Two –Tonia Putt
The case of Tonia Putt shows poor mishandling of employee information, record management, and making hasty decisions without all factual evidence on the part of human resource managers. Did she request for the family medical leave in writing and who approved it? Is the information verifiable, if yes, then who takes the blame for poorly handling her situation?
The filing error in the compensation and benefits section has messed up her credit scores, mortgage, and accumulate overdraft fees. This makes Tonia angry and she is contemplating seeking legal redress. There is need for the HRD to check its information tracking process and filing system to avoid such instances from re-occurring in the future. The company will need to compensate Tonia and reimburse all the fees she has accumulated.
It is obvious that there is poor management of employee information at the human resources department. The communication channels between departmental heads and HRD is unclear, as information shared is not properly recorded and filed which results in the company mishandling their staff. These actions may result in disgruntled, unhappy, and demotivated employees. And furthermore, lawsuits arising from such negligence may mean the firm loses money in settling cases, at the time when the top management is talking of cutting operational costs. The way forward is to do an overall audit of the staffs roles and responsibilities, departmental operations, and performances at individual and departmental level. This audit will answer questions on where are the gaps and how best to fill them to avoid costly mistakes, like the case of Tonia Putt.
The King’s Company can start using the ADP HR program that will help the firm in synchronizing all its data across departments and share the information when needed, only at a click of a button. The ADP system helps the human resources department in managing its employees’ talent, reporting time, benefits and compensation, project management, trainings and skills development, and tracking of all their recorded information (Christian & Ellis, 2014). With such a system in place, the Tonia Putt incidence would not have occurred as all the information is traceable. Companies such as First Choice Medical Supplies in Jackson are using the ADP system and it comes highly recommended.

References
Christian, J. S., & Ellis, A. P. (2014); The crucial role of turnover intentions in transforming moral disengagement into deviant behavior at work, Journal of business ethics, 119(2), 193-208
Kaufman, B. E. (2015). Theorising determinants of employee voice: An integrative model across disciplines and levels of analysis Human Resource Management Journal, 25(1), 19-40
Mathieu, C., Fabi, B., Lacoursière, R., & Raymond, L. (2016) The role of supervisory behavior, job satisfaction and organizational commitment on employee turnover Journal of Management & Organization, 22(1), 113-129