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How do you quit your job at an agency?
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Chief
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Chief
Risk management on a company’s part. There needs to be a paper trail that shows poor performance and attempts to rectify said performance. This also ensures a company is protected from any sort of discrimination / wrongful termination.
And unemployment claims.
Chief
I understand the frustration, but I think it's a good thing that firing isn't easy lol
Wild how it compares to menial jobs—my managers in restaurants would come in hang over and clean house just because their head hurt.
Facts
Firing someone is actually quite easy in the US since most employees are at will. But…
Hiring is expensive and time consuming and it can be cheaper/better to correct behavior than replace someone.
Second, HR having a long process to document improvement areas and measure progress against them gives the company a strong defense should someone try to bring a wrongful termination suit against the company.
Employment is at will but it doesn’t protect employers from being sued. The paper trail is so that the employee quits before you have to use it or, if they don’t, so you can show the employee the firing was merited. Most lawsuits are settled in the USA because they are so expensive for both sides to pursue so they end up being settled regardless of who is right. We are stuck with the consequences of this by having to document more than we should.
I know....growing up in the 90s, I thought you just said "yur fired" and that was it!
Nice try, DOJ...you'll never take the rest of my boxes!
Having experienced this years ago: it takes time to build the paper trail and justify the case in writing. Even more essential if the person may be a part of one or more protected classes.
Chief
Ask them when you get fired
To avoid potential lawsuits and protect the firm's reputation is pretty much the main reason.
Employment is at will. But if the employees challenge you that they are fired because of some sort of discrimination, you need to be able to prove that it's not and that it's a performance issue.
Small businesses wouldn't really care that much about this.
I agree OP. I understand why HR does it, to protect the company against lawsuit, but the countless hours we spend as managers documenting and working to improve someone that is better off just going somewhere else, is a bloody waste
It starts with a “D” and ends with an “I”