Trust you are all doing well. This has been a tough few weeks in our nation. There is an increase of young people having panic attacks. Please be on the lookout for any who may work with you. A panic attack just means they are not breathing properly which could be as a result of the trauma or the shock of the situation.
Today is about employee separation from the organisation. This could be voluntary or involuntary. Either way this is on an increase and has to be discussed. Employee separation is a sensitive issue for any organisation and requires discretion, empathy and a great deal of planning.
Separation may be separated as a consequence of resignation, removal, suspension, death, permanent incapacity, dismissal, discharge, retirement, retrenchment or layoff. The employee may also be separated due to the expiration of an employment contract. Organisations should never harass employees just because they are quitting the organisation. In fact, a quitting employee should be seen as a potential candidate of the future for the organisation and also the brand ambassador.
Unfortunately, however many organisations still treat their employees as “expendable resources” and discharge them in an unplanned manner. Organisations must have comprehensive separation policies and procedures to treat the departing employees equitably and ensure a smooth transition for them. The absolute truth is that such employees can provide a wealth of information to the organisation at the time of separation by way of exit interviews.
Employee separation constitutes the final stage in the staffing process of an organisation. Employees can leave the organisation for any reason they deem fit. However, separation is classified basically into two types.
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Voluntary separation and involuntary separation. Voluntary separation is the separation of employees on their own request, while involuntary separation means the separation of employees for organisational reasons which are beyond the control of the employees.
Voluntary separation, which normally begins after a request is placed in this regard by the employee, can happen due to professional or personal reasons.
Employees may seek separation when they decide to seek better positions, responsibilities and status outside the present organisation. Efficient employees may seek to expand their realm of knowledge and skills continuously by working in different capacities/positions in various organisations. In their quest for greater responsibility, power and status, they may seek separation from the organisation. This is for professional reasons.
Examples of personal reasons for voluntary separation are relocation for reasons like marriage of the employees, health crisis of family members, maternity and child-rearing. For instance, a working woman getting married may prefer to settle in the husbands place of occupation or vice versa. Similarly, an employee may seek voluntary separation to look after their child or parent.
An involuntary separation is usually caused by factors beyond the purview of the employees. These factors may be classified broadly into health problems, behavioural problems and organisational problems. Major health problems crippling the employees may make them invalid or unfit to continue in the profession. For instance, accidents causing permanent disabilities and illness of the employees like brain stroke and other terminal illnesses can lead to their involuntary separation. Death of employees is another factor which results in their involuntary separation.
An employee’s objectionable and unruly behaviour may also lead to his involuntary separation from the organisation. When the employee’s behaviour is unethical or violates the code of conduct in force, disciplinary actions may be initiated, which may eventually result in their termination. Consistent failure to reach performance goals can also result in involuntary separation.
Organisational problems can contribute to the involuntary separation of employees. The poor financial performance of an organisation may cause it to terminate the services of some of its employees as part of cost control measures. Such terminations are also classified as involuntary separation. Similarly, automation, organisational restructuring and rationalisation can also result in employee termination, discharge or layoff, broadly called involuntary separation.
Another form of separation is termination. This process is usually perceived negatively by employees. This is when an employer uses his right to terminate the employment contract of an employee. There can be many reasons for an employer to terminate the contract of employment but some of the common reasons are: Non-performance, indiscipline, misconduct, insubordination, theft, long term ill health of employee, fighting in the office and anything else that has been identified in the employee handbook or contract of employment.
To dismiss for what is not included in the employment documents or any wrongful dismissal tends to arise first as a claim by the employee so dismissed. Tribunals or courts hear actions for wrongful dismissal. A proven wrongful dismissal claim will tend to lead to two main remedies: reinstatement of the dismissed employee, and/or monetary compensation.
Things that may be tagged as wrongful dismissal are terminating employment because the employee is of a certain race, nationality, religion, sex or age, thereby being discriminatory. Also terminating an employee because they filed a claim of discrimination or are participating in an investigation for discrimination may be so tagged.
Terminating an employee because the employee refuses to commit an act that is illegal. Often, the employee handbook or company policy outlines a procedure that must be followed before an employee is terminated. If the employer fires an employee without following this procedure, the employee may have a claim for wrongful termination.
We will continue the discussion later. Have a great weekend.
