Discipline  &  Termina/on  for  Supervisors  

G&A  August  2015  

ROLE  OF  THE  SUPERVISOR  

What  is  Your  Role  Related  to…  

•  Repor/ng  problems?  •  Harassment  complaints  

•  Confiden/ality?  •  Administra/ve  tasks  (paperwork)?  

•  Giving  feedback  to  employees?  

Some  Tips  •  Socializing  with  Employees:  When  you  are  there,  everything  is  assumed  to  be  said  or  done  with  the  tacit  approval  of  management.  

 •  Get  to  know  and  care  about  your  employees,  but  balance  friendship  and  authority  so  you  can  s/ll:  Ø Review  performance  Ø Maintain  team  morale  Ø Maintain  confiden/ality    

•  Set  regular  /mes  for  reviewing  performance.    Ø Otherwise  you  only  talk  about  problems.  

•  Do  not  ever  discuss  employment  decisions  or  performance  with  other  employees.    

DISCIPLINE  &  TERMINATION  Supervisor  Training  

EEOC  Press  Release  7/19/2012  Hawaii  Healthcare    Professionals,  Inc  and  its  owner  have  been  ordered  to  pay  $193,236  to  a  woman  allegedly  fired    due  to  her  age.    •  The  company’s  owner,  Carolyn    Frutoz-­‐De  Harne,  ordered  the  2008  termina/on  

of  Debra  Moreno,  a    then-­‐54-­‐year-­‐old  office  coordinator  at  its  Maui  facility,  according  to  the    EEOC.  The  termina/on  proceeded  despite    reports  by  the  facility’s  manager,  who  actually  hired  and  supervised  Moreno,    that  Moreno  was  a  thorough  and  efficient  worker.    

•  Frutoz-­‐De  Harne  allegedly  ordered  that  Moreno    be  fired  a^er  telling  the  manager  that  Moreno  “looks  old,”  “sounds  old  on  the    telephone,”  and  is  “like  a  bag  of  bones.”  Frutoz-­‐De  Harne  also  allegedly  told  the  manager  that  Moreno  was  not  the  type  of  person  she  wanted  represen/ng  her  company,  the  EEOC  said.    

•  A^er  the  termina/on,  the  manager  reported  the  ageist  comments  to  Moreno,  who  in  turn  filed  a  discrimina/on  charge  with    the  EEOC.”  

Lessons  from  Debra  Moreno    

1.  Don’t  make  discriminatory  comments  2.  “Same-­‐actor  inference”  defense:  If  hired  

and  terminated  by  the  same  person,  discrimina/on  is  unlikely  

3.  Documenta/on  did  not  support  the  termina/on  

4.  Supervisor  said  too  much  to  the  employee  

Discipline  &  the  Law  

•  EEO  Laws  -­‐  Discrimina/on  •  Consistency  and  Fairness  •  Retalia/on  • NLRA  –  complaints  and  unions  • Worker’s  Compensa/on  • Unemployment  • Wrongful  Discharge  

Protected  Groups  

• Race • Color • National origin • Religion • Sex/Pregnancy/

Sexual orientation • Age • Disability • Genetic information • Others by State/ City

Consistency  &  Fairness  

Always…  •  Address  bad  behavior  promptly  •  Treat  similar  viola/ons  similarly  •  Discipline  appropriate  to  the  viola/on  •  Follow  policy  (check  handbook)  

But…  •  Only  discipline  when  necessary  

EEOC  Press  Release  4/5/2011  Federal  Agency  Charged  Black  Tanzanian  Network  Analyst  Was  Fired  While  White  Counterpart  Was  Merely  Disciplined  

•  Broadband  Company  Pays  $60,000  To  Sejle  EEOC  Race  And  Na/onal  Origin  Discrimina/on  Suit  

•  In  its  lawsuit,  (Case  No.:  1:10-­‐CV-­‐03106),  the  EEOC  charged  that  a  black  Tanzanian  network  analyst  was  fired  for  leaving  work  30  minutes  early.    

•  However,  a  similarly  situated  white  network  analyst  received  only  a  wrijen  discipline  a^er  leaving  work  two  hours  early,  twice  in  one  week.  

•  “The  EEOC  filed  this  lawsuit  because  the  difference  in  treatment  between  these  employees  was  clear,  and  a  woman  lost  her  livelihood  due  to  this  discrimina/on,”  said  Robert  Dawkins,  regional  ajorney  for  the  EEOC’s  Atlanta  District  Office.  “It  is  plainly  illegal  to  treat  employees  differently  because  of  their  race  or  na/onal  origin.  This  resolu/on,  we  trust,  will  prevent  such  disparate  treatment  in  the  future.”  

Unemployment  Claims  

•  Culpability  –  “The  conduct  causing  the  discharge  must  be  so  serious  that  con/nuing  the  employment  rela/onship  would  jeopardize  the  employer's  righoul  interest.”  

•  Knowledge  -­‐  “The  claimant  must  have  had  knowledge  of  the  conduct  the  employer  expected.”  

•  Control  –  “The  conduct  causing  the  discharge  must  have  been  within  the  claimant's  control.  ”  

Cost  you  money  in  UI  premiums.    To  win  an  unemployment  claim,  generally  you  must  demonstrate  that  the  employee  had:  

 

Before  Using  Discipline  

• Observe  the  behavior  firsthand  or  inves/gate  

•  Consider:  Ø Severity  of  offense  Ø Employee’s  prior  history  Ø Mi/ga/ng  circumstances  Ø Was  the  employee  aware?  Ø Precedent  Ø Policy  Ø Consul/ng  HR  

Inves/ga/ons  

• Get  the  facts  •  Explain  the  facts  •  Document  the  facts  •  Interview  witnesses  •  For  serious  cases  –  involve  HR  

EEOC  Press  Release  2/7/2013  Company  Fired  Employee  for  Not  Wearing  ProstheOc  Arm  •  MIAMI  -­‐  A  Florida  full-­‐service  asset  protec/on  security  firm  violated  

federal  law  by  firing  an  employee  because  of  his  disability,  a  missing  arm,  and  then  punishing  him  for  complaining  about  the  discrimina/on,  the  U.S.  Equal  Employment  Opportunity  Commission  (EEOC)  charged  in  a  lawsuit  it  filed  today.    

•  The  EEOC  had  charged  that  Florida  Commercial  Security  Services,  Corp.,  doing  business  as  Florida  Construc/on  Security  Services  (FCSS),  terminated  a  guard  for  failing  to  wear  his  prosthe/c  arm,  even  though  it  was  unnecessary,  and  then  refused  to  assign  him  to  another  posi/on  because  he  filed  a  discriminaSon  charge  with  the  EEOC.  

•  "The  ADA  requires  that  people  with  disabili/es  be  judged  on  their  ability  to  perform  the  essenSal  funcSons  of  the  job  -­‐-­‐  not  on  stereotypes  or  appearances,"  said  Robert  E.  Weisberg,  regional  ajorney  for  the  EEOC's  Miami  District  Office.    "Customer  complaints  about  an  employee's  appearance  created  by  his  disability  are  not  a  legi/mate  reason  to  terminate  him.“  

  EEOC  Sues  Florida  Construc/on  Security  Services  for  Disability  Discrimina/on  and  Retalia/on,  EEOC  Newsroom,  2/7/2013  

Discipline  Op/ons  

•  Coaching  and  feedback  •  Verbal  warning  • Wrijen  warning  “write-­‐up”  •  Performance  Improvement  Plan  (PIP)  •  Suspension  without  pay  •  Termina/on  

 

Progressive  Discipline  

•  Sets expectations •  Accountability – employee must change

or leave…may choose to resign •  Correct the behavior – easier to retain

than retrain •  Deterrent – other employees notice

The  Discipline  Mee/ng  

• Meet  in  private  • Witness  present  •  Review  the  poor  performance  •  Explain  expected  performance  (w/deadline)  •  Review  the  form  •  Ask  them  to  sign  •  Allow  employee  comments  • Give  them  a  copy  of  the  form  •  CONFIDENTIALITY  

Termina/on  –  Extra  steps  

•  Consult  G&A  •  Collect  documenta/on  –  always  •  Final  check  

•  Utah  -­‐  Must  pay  within  24  hours  of  termina/on  •  (Resigna/ons:  on  next  regular  payday)  

The  Termina/on  Mee/ng  

• Meet  in  private  • Witness  present  • Get  to  the  point  •  Review  term  form  •  Ask  them  to  sign  • Give  them  a  copy  of  the  form  and  final  check  •  Submit  term  form  to  HR  

Documenta/on  Helps  Employer  Win  Discrimina/on  Lawsuit  

•  “The  Seventh  Circuit  recently  upheld  the  summary  judgment  dismissal  of  a  former  hospital  worker's  claims  for  na/onal  origin  and  age  discrimina/on  a^er  the  worker  was  fired  for  repeatedly  sending  "nega/ve,  unprofessional,  and  disrespecoul"  emails  to  her  boss  and  other  co-­‐workers.      

•  Notably,  the  plain/ff  presented  evidence  that  her  2008  and  2009  performance  evaluaSons  were  "saSsfactory"  and  that  several  of  her  co-­‐workers  made  a  variety  of  remarks  about  her  Puerto  Rican  naSonal  origin.      

•  However,  the  hospital  employer  had  documented  its  various  disciplinary  acSons  with  plain/ff,  including  two  counseling  sessions  Human  Resources  had  with  her  in  April  2010  regarding  her  unprofessional  communica/ons  with  peers  and  supervisors  and  a  wrijen  warning  in  July  2010  for  similar  conduct.  In  April  2011,  a^er  learning  about  three  more  unprofessional  emails  sent  by  the  plain/ff  to  her  boss,  the  hospital  fired  her.      

•  The  Seventh  Circuit  held  that  the  plain/ff's  evidence  of  meeSng  expectaSons  on  her  performance  evaluaSons  was  essenSally  trumped  by  the  more  recent  and  thorough  documentaSon  of  the  plainSff's  discipline  issues,  thus  elimina/ng  a  triable  issue  of  fact.”  

Employer's  Contemporaneous  Documenta/on  of  Verbal  Counseling  Helps  It  Win  Discrimina/on  Lawsuit,  Laner  Muchin,  2/18/2014  

Lessons  from  Margarita  Zayas  

•  Supervisor  gave  nega/ve  performance  feedback  Ø and  documented  it!  

• Good,  recent  documenta/on  even  trumped  performance  review  

•  The  case  didn’t  have  to  go  to  jury  Ø employers  don’t  get  much  sympathy  from  juries  

•  Same-­‐actor  inference  helped  this  /me  

Documenta/on  

•  Complete  promptly  a^er  the  incident  •  Facts  only:  use  dates,  /mes  and  details  • No  judgments,  emo/ons  or  conclusions  

•  Types  of  Documenta/on  Ø Supervisor  Ø Company  Ø G&A    

Documenta/on:  What  to  include  

•  Employer’s  expecta/on  • How  the  employee  has  failed  to  meet  that  expecta/on  

•  Prior  counseling  or  discipline  •  The  employer’s  expecta/ons  going  forward  •  The  consequences  of  the  employee’s  failure  to  make  the  requisite  improvement  

Blunders  in  Documen/ng  Discipline,  SHRM  9/23/2014  

Documenta/on:  Common  Mistakes  

•  Using  labels  without  providing  behavioral  examples  •  Using  words  that  sound  like  “proxies”  for  bias  retalia/on  •  Focusing  on  the  employee’s  intent  (as  opposed  to  results)  •  Focusing  on  the  perceived  cause  of  a  performance  problem  as  opposed  to  the  problem  itself  

•  Using  absolutes  that  are  not  credible  •  Hedging  so  much  that  the  employer  seems  uncertain  of  the  basis  for  its  own  decision  

•  Including  too  much  detail  •  Using  technical  rather  than  plain  language  •  Failing  to  make  clear  the  consequences  of  lack  of  improvement  

•  Using  labels  that  may  create  liability  

Blunders  in  Documen/ng  Discipline,  SHRM  9/23/2014  

Documenta/on:  Examples  

Problema/c  Documenta/on:  •  Jim  has  a  poor  awtude  when  asked  to  complete  work  assignments.    

Bejer  Documenta/on:  • On  May  4,  2012,  I  asked  Jim  to  have  the  quarterly  report  turned  in  by  May  7th.  Jim  rolled  his  eyes  and  said  “Yeah,  right”  then  walked  out  of  my  office.  

Documenta/on:  Examples  

Problema/c  Documenta/on:  • Maj  is  always  late,  even  a^er  he  has  been  given  a  warning.    

Bejer  Documenta/on:    • Maj  is  scheduled  to  be  at  work  at  8:00  a.m.  On  March  15,  2012,  he  arrived  at  8:15  a.m.;  the  following  day  he  arrived  at  8:20  a.m.  On  March  16,  I  told  Maj  that  he  needs  to  be  here  by  8:00  a.m.  or  we  would  proceed  with  disciplinary  ac/on.  Maj  said  that  he  would  be  here  at  8:00  a.m.  On  March  26,  Maj  arrived  at  8:30  a.m.    

HRCI  CerSficaSon  Credits:    "This  webinar  has  been  pre-­‐cer/fied  for  1  hour  of  general  recer/fica/on  credit  toward  PHR,  SPHR  and  GPHR  recer/fica/on  through  the  HR  Cer/fica/on  Ins/tute.      We  will  send  out  a  confirmaSon  e-­‐mail  to  all  those  that  are  confirmed  as  a[ended  with  the  program  ID  code  to  note  on  your  HRCI  recerSficaSon  applicaSon  form.      

The  use  of  this  seal  is  not  an  endorsement  by  the  HR  Cer/fica/on  Ins/tute  of  the  quality  of  the  program.    It  means  that  this  program  has  met  the  HR  Cer/fica/on  Ins/tute's  criteria  to  be  pre-­‐approved  for  recer/fica/on  credit."  

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