Table Of Content4th edition
Dealing with
Problem
Employees
A Legal Guide
by Attorneys Amy DelPo
and Lisa Guerin
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4th edition
Dealing with
Problem
Employees
A Legal Guide
by Attorneys Amy DelPo
and Lisa Guerin
Fourth Edition octobEr 2007
cover Design SUSAN PUtNEY
Production SArAh hiNmAN
Proofreading mArk NigArA
index mEDEA miNNich
Printing DEltA PriNtiNg SolUtioNS, iNc.
DelPo, Amy, 1967-
Dealing with problem employees : a legal guide / by Amy DelPo and lisa guerin ; edited
by Janet Portman. -- 4th ed.
p. cm.
includes index.
iSbN-13: 978-1-4133-0711-5 (pbk.)
iSbN-10: 1-4133-0711-6 (pbk.)
1. labor laws and legislation--United States--Popular works. 2. labor discipline--law
and legislation--United States--Popular works. 3. Problem employees--legal status, laws,
etc.--United States--Popular works. i. guerin, lisa, 1964- ii. title.
kF3457.Z9D45 2007
658.3’045--dc22
2007018035
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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, we would like to express many thanks to our editor
on the first edition of the book—and boss—Janet Portman. Not only is her
skill with a red pen unparalleled, but she is also a humane taskmaster. if
all supervisors were as good-humored, respectful, and kind, employment
lawyers throughout the country would have to find new work. And many
thanks to our meticulous and detail-oriented editor on later editions,
our friend and colleague Stephanie bornstein. thanks for catching our
mistakes and making us look good.
thanks, too, to Nolo founder and man-about-town Jake Warner. his
enthusiasm for this project never wavered, even when we had our doubts.
We are also grateful to Nolo’s Stan Jacobson for his tireless research
efforts and good cheer, and to Ella hirst and Alayna Schroeder for their
meticulous work on the state law charts that appear in our books.
We’d also like to express our gratitude to former Nolo editor,
employment law doyenne, and author barbara kate repa, whose previous
work on this topic inspired us to write a whole book about it. Some of her
words live on here.
Amy DelPo and Lisa Guerin
thanks to three people who made my work on this book possible:
to my dear husband, Paul, who has given me so much, including the
encouragement and freedom to jump off the gerbil wheel of litigation and
work at a job that i truly love.
And to my parents, ray and Eleanor, who gave me my education—and
a solid foundation on which to build a wonderful life.
Amy DelPo
thanks to my friends and former colleagues in the employment law
trenches—everyone at rudy, Exelrod & Zieff; mike gaitley; Deborah
England; and particularly John true—for your guidance and inspiration.
thanks also to my family and friends, who support and encourage
me—and keep my life interesting.
Lisa Guerin
Table of Contents
Introduction
The High Cost of Problem Employees..........................................................................................................2
How This Book Can Help ....................................................................................................................................4
Who Should Read This Book .............................................................................................................................5
Who Should Not Read This Book ...................................................................................................................5
1
What’s Your Problem?
Performance or Productivity Problems .......................................................................................................9
Interpersonal Problems .....................................................................................................................................11
Insubordination .....................................................................................................................................................14
Excessive Absenteeism ......................................................................................................................................16
Drugs and Alcohol ...............................................................................................................................................18
Theft and Dishonesty .........................................................................................................................................23
Violence .....................................................................................................................................................................24
2
Employment Law Basics
Employment at Will ............................................................................................................................................34
Employment Contracts .....................................................................................................................................37
Breaches of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ................................................................................................46
Violations of Public Policy ...............................................................................................................................47
Discrimination and Retaliation .....................................................................................................................49
3
Performance Evaluations
The Benefits of an Evaluation System .....................................................................................................77
Step 1: Create Performance Objectives ....................................................................................................78
Step 2: Observe and Document Employee Performance ...............................................................82
Step 3: Conduct Interim Meetings to Discuss Progress and Problems ...................................87
Step 4: Conduct the Year-End Evaluation ...............................................................................................89
