The people who have been let go for cause from where I work were denied UI, but if they had any earned vacation time, that was paid out with the last check. No severance pay, though.
See, this is the difference between the USA and countries which respect workers…
You can fire someone for cause for habitual tardiness in Canada… But only if they have been warned, documented, and given opportunities to correct this behavior. A job, a livelihood, is an important part of your life. It should not be taken away without decent warning and a chance to fix their behavior. fired without warning is reserved for theft, gross insubordination, job abandonment etc.
If you’ve talked to her and talked to her til you’re blue in the face and you’re done talking - then fire her ass. If this is the second or third time you’ll be telling her that tardiness or absences are a problem - then you owe her more chances or 2 weeks. IMHO.
I’m from Australia, and the whole ‘at-will’ thing horrifies me, but I think in this instance the OP made it pretty obvious that he’s given her plenty of warnings over her behavior and it shouldn’t have been a surprise to her to get the tap on the shoulder.
Given the laws in the US (as I understand them) giving her a weeks severance was pretty generous by the OP IMO.
What do you consider to be decent warning and ample chance to correct the problem?
I hire you and tell what the work hours are. Do I have to spell out in detail that as an employee, you are required to be here during those work hours and that you’re to work? Do I have to point out that making personal phone calls and surfing the web during business hours are not in your job description? Do I have to specify that you’re being hired and paid to do a job for me/my company and that’s what I expect of you?
And how many reminders am I required to give you? Weekly? Monthly? Daily? Perhaps I should post a sign that says “You’re here to do a job, not talk to your mother about what to bring to the family pot luck.” Should there be a surprise when I say “You haven’t been doing your job. Good bye”??
I’ve seen far too many co-employees (certainly not coworkers) kept on and shuffled from one desk to another because the so-called bosses didn’t want a confrontation. Meanwhile, those of us who came to work to do a job got saddled with the tasks that the slackers didn’t do. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re an employee, you’re entitled to the agreed-upon pay for the specified work. If you can’t or won’t do it, you’re owed nothing. Is work ethic that rare today??
What exactly in the thread was evidence of anyone (much less a whole country) showing the lack of a proper respect for “workers”?
I know this was rhetorical, but yes. I can’t believe how many people at my former workplace skated by on doing nothing. They would complain about job duties they had agreed to beforehand when they took the job (i.e., included in the job description and they applied anyway), then those duties they didn’t like would be taken away and shuffled to someone else. Or it would be acceptable for them to say, “Not in my job description” to get out of working on a different project that could possibly have gotten them promoted, then complain about how they never got promotions. There’s a lot of people with a great work ethic, but there seem to be as many people with a very strong sense of entitlement.
Plus, while it’s certainly a private matter, many people neglect to tell their managers when a personal issue is preventing them from doing their jobs effectively out of fear that their manager will ding them somehow. If your manager is reasonable, he or she will usually work with you, possibly allowing you to complete work outside of normal business hours, to accommodate problems you might be having or they might provide mentoring or support to help you get through your issues. But you have to tell them first. If you don’t, they can’t do anything for you.
Give her two weeks severance.
Because it’s what you do.
Then recognize it’s not because of what she’s done or not done, but because of who you are. Embrace it, 'cause it’s kind of awesome, and needs no excuse, truly.
Too late–she let her go with one week’s pay.
Which is more than I would do, and more than I would expect.
In most larger enterprises in the US, there’s a Human Resources department. After a period of probation, documentation & other formalities are indeed required to fire somebody. Of course, budget problems can sometimes trigger Reductions In Force; the jobs are history but generous benefits & help with job searches will be extended.
Having one person making all the decisions, answering to nobody, can lead to abuses–although that does not appear to be the case here.
It absolutely can lead to abuses. Particularly with ineffective management. However, I don’t know if the opposite end of the spectrum is any better. My sister is a high school principal and it is nearly impossible to fire a staff member and if you want a teacher gone, you simply shove them onto some unsuspecting school to get rid of them. It shouldn’t be like that. Not only does a bad staff member negatively influence the institution whether it be a school or business but it lowers morale to such an extent that some people wonder why they bother to give 100% at all.