I’ve had to go through this once (not very pleasant) and was wondering if this is something common.
If so, has this always been a ‘standard procedure’, so to speak?
In the UK and Sweden it is something that is seen as “an American thing”.
Hell, I think I have only seen security here once, when I got my pass to get in the building.
Yes, very common. I’ve seen several dozen people escorted off the property. What usually happens is the person’s supervisor and maybe another person of authority (security or facility manager) aid in the terminated person’s collection of personal items from their work area. They may also have a meeting with an HR rep that will assist in collecting keys and or badges and such. Then the person is casually escorted off the premises so as not to cause a scene.
I haven’t been, and I don’t know anyone who has. The one time I was escorted out, it was by my boss (no security).
It depends on the company, but it’s certainly common to escort the person out. The risk of sabotage, theft, or other damage (in revenge) is deemed high enough to make it worthwhile. Whether escorted out by security or the boss probably depends to a large extent on what else the boss has to do that day (perhaps the level of the boss.)
In Spain if you’re being escorted out it means the police is involved; in most cases, firing someone or leaving a job without several days’ warning (the usual is two weeks) is a breach of contract. The exceptions are trial periods and some modes of temporary contract. Saying “you’re fired, Bob will show you out” isn’t even seen as “an American thing”, it’s an alien concept that people would have serious problems wrapping their minds around.
When I was fired I was left to my own devices. Wasn’t escorted by anyone.
What are the exceptions? I am assuming that (a) wholesale theft and (b) violence in the workplace can get someone a summary termination.
When I terminated people, the process was
[ul][li]Have the meeting. HR was there to explain their options, I was there to tell them they were fired.[/li][li]Hand them the check for whatever was owed them - two weeks salary in lieu of notice, vacation balance, whatever.[/li][li]I would have a box there for their personal effects. [/li][li]I walked them to their desk and have them clean it out. I made it clear that if they left anything, we would mail it to them. [/li][li]I would walk them to the door.[/li][li]Once they are off the property, I would go back and send out the prepared e-mail saying that they were no longer employed, I wish them luck in their future, blah blah blah.[/ul]No security. The key is to make sure the next step in the process is very obvious, and that once the process starts, to keep it going. [/li]
It’s like yanking the band-aid off. Better to make it quick.
Regards,
Shodan
I’ve been laid off three times (the wonderful world of high-tech manufacturing).
- Free to leave and then come and go, as required, to clean out office, etc.
- Ditto. In fact I was still on the payroll for a couple of weeks and was encouraged to come in and use company resources (Internet, phone) to look for work.
- Escorted out by supervisor. (He was a … control freak. I was going to use another word starting with c, but this isn’t the pit.)
In the UK, it depends on the company and the reason for you leaving. For instance, if you work in a sensitive role or are leaving to work for the main competitor - my partner was escorted off the premises for working in a sensitive new business role. No security involved however, and she didn’t lose her notice period - she just had three months at home, full paid, on ‘gardening leave’.
In my company it depends mostly on what the conditions of your termination.
I’ve seen it happen a couple times in public education. It involved substitute teachers both times and was just because the principals involved wanted to be dix about it. Also saw it happen at a residential treatment center where it was actually policy.
I would say that with my company, we typically will have security escort out someone that is being fired for cause. In these cases there is usually no notice period. In these cases there is usually a concern of retaliation, etc. based upon past experiences.
For lay-off’s, when a person or group of person’s are being terminated because of budget constraints or restructurings, we will typically provide a couple of weeks notice. There is normally no security escort on their last day.
As I have never been fired, I have no personal knowledge. I have had to terminate various people over my career though. It is the least favorite thing that I have to do from time to time.
I’ve worked at a lot of places, and never actually seen anyone escorted out by security. I have seen people leave under the watchful eye of their boss, though. (That happened to me once.)
I’ve never been fired or laid off, but I have fired people. It went down pretty much as Shodan describes.
When I quit my last job (with notice, and on good terms) they scheduled my exit interview for early afternoon. I had expected to work the rest of the day, but they wanted me to leave the premises immediately after the meeting. I had to appeal for at least a little time to go around and say goodbye to all my friends, and then I needed to call Security to let me out of the building because my keycard had been collected and those are needed to exit as well as enter the building.
The exceptions for “amicable” firings are the ones I already indicated: during a trial period and certain types of temporary contracts.
As for “non-amicable” firings, there are two levels. The examples you give are breaches of Criminal Law, not of Civil Law: they would see the police involved and a possible Criminal Trial.
For the second kind, the details are listed in between one and three places, depending on sector and company:
- the Estatuto General de los Trabajadores (General Labor Law),
- the Convenio Sectorial (General Agreement for the Sector), which can go into more detail than the Estatuto,
and 3) if the company is big enough, its own Agreement, which can go into more detail than the Sectorial Agreement.
Agreements generally get updated every two years. The Estatuto was updated last year; I think the previous update was from 1994.
Generally, firing someone “for reason” under a breach of these Laws and/or Agreements requires opening an “expediente” or internal investigation against the worker and, if the unacceptable behavior is proved, a first phase of punishment or warning. If the behavior goes uncorrected, it can eventually lead to firing - but there must still be warning time if the contract is neither in the trial period nor one of those specific types (the initial punishment can include a warning of “if your behavior hasn’t been corrected by such date, you will be fired effective the next day”, which would cover the warning time, but only for some of the more serious reasons - insulting people is considered serious enough for this, tardiness isn’t).
For example, I know a case of someone who, according to the official version, didn’t pass his trial period because the medical checkup uncovered a bad back; according to the unofficial version, it was because when he heard that the Production Manager was a woman, he claimed he “wasn’t going to take orders from no whore”. Since he was in his trial period, since the company people were nice, and since firing him for misbehavior would have involved more paperwork, they came up with the “bad back” excuse and terminated instantly as allowed by the fact that he still was in his trial period.
Both refusing to follow a superior’s legal orders and insulting coworkers are reason for firing with cause, but they involve an internal investigation and warning time. There would also normally be a civil trial to determine that the firing truly has been with cause (which would mean no unemployment benefits, including no access to government-sponsored courses for the unemployed, and no firing compensation from the company).
I asked a a related question a while back.
I’ve had people escorted out, always for a reason tho (petty thef, sexual misconduct, misuse of company resources, and assault)
In general, unless it’s a government job or some security critical post (R&D) the boss is just being a… part of the male anatomy.
At my previous place of employment terminated employees were led by security to their desks to collect their possessions which were placed in a garbage bag and zip-tied shut. The employee was then led to the roof of the building where they had a large cannon. The bag was placed in the cannon first and the terminated employee was given the courtesy of chosing which direction the cannon pointed. Security then assisted the employee into the cannon feet first and then proceeded to promptly fire them off the property.
After noise complaints from the surrounding businesses surfaced they were forced to dismantle the cannon and purchased a second-hand giant slingshot.
Not nearly as accurate nor does it have the range but it does the trick.