Terminating the Employment Relationship

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

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S ECTION 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................8

S ECTION 2 Terminating an Employee..............................................................................................................................................8 A. Follow Rules and Procedures for Termination ................................................................................................9 B. Consider the Nature of the Employment Relationship ....................................................................................9 1. At-Will Employees ..................................................................................................................................10 2. Probationary Employees ..........................................................................................................................14 C. Permanent, or “For Cause,” Employees ........................................................................................................17 1. Pre-Deprivation Due Process – “Skelly” .................................................................................................17 2. Post-Deprivation Due Process – The Evidentiary Hearing ......................................................................22 3. Remedies for Violating a Permanent Employee’s Due Process Rights ...................................................24 D. Part-Time Employees ....................................................................................................................................24 1. Designating Part-Time Employees as At-Will.........................................................................................24 2. Avoid Destroying the At-Will Designation .............................................................................................24 E. Contract Employees ......................................................................................................................................26 1. Employment Contracts.............................................................................................................................26 2. Implied Contracts.....................................................................................................................................26 S ECTION 3 Legal Ramifications to Consider Prior to Ending the Employment Relationship .......................................................28 A. Discrimination Claims...................................................................................................................................29 B. Retaliation Claims .........................................................................................................................................29 1. Activities Protected by FEHA/Title VII ..................................................................................................29 2. Retaliation for Taking Protected Leave ...................................................................................................30 3. Free Speech Retaliation ...........................................................................................................................30 4. Workers’ Compensation Retaliation ........................................................................................................31 5. Retaliation for Union Activity .................................................................................................................32 6. Whistleblower Retaliation........................................................................................................................33 C. Termination for Private Conduct...................................................................................................................35 1. Off-Duty Conduct ....................................................................................................................................35 2. Drugs and Alcohol ...................................................................................................................................36 3. Workplace Surveillance ...........................................................................................................................36 4. Employees’ Electronic Communications .................................................................................................37 S ECTION 4 Termination for a Disability that Cannot be Accommodated ......................................................................................39 A. Interactive Process and Reasonable Accommodation ...................................................................................39 1. Interactive Process ...................................................................................................................................40 2. Reasonable Accommodation....................................................................................................................42 B. Defenses to Accommodation: Health and Safety, and Undue Hardship ......................................................49 1. Direct Threat to Health and Safety – ADA/FEHA ..................................................................................49 2. Health and Safety Issues Under FEHA....................................................................................................51 3. Undue Hardship Defense – ADA/FEHA .................................................................................................52 C. Inability to Accommodate .............................................................................................................................55 1. Separating Disabled At-Will Employees .................................................................................................55 2. Employees With Property Rights: Due Process ......................................................................................55

Terminating the Employment Relationship ©2019 (s) Liebert Cassidy Whitmore iv