Terminating the Employment Relationship

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

5-22 S

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 ....................................................................................................................................9 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 ...........................................................................................................................31 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 5. Using Criminal History in Decisions Involving Discipline, Layoffs, or Terminations .............................39 S ECTION 4 Termination for a Disability that Cannot be Accommodated ......................................................................................40 A. Interactive Process and Reasonable Accommodation ...................................................................................40 1. Interactive Process ...................................................................................................................................40 2. Reasonable Acco mmodation .................................................................................................................... 42 B. Defenses to Accommodation: Health and Safety, and Undue Hardship ......................................................50 1. Direct Threat to Health and Safety – ADA/FEHA ..................................................................................50 2. Health and Safety Issues Under FEHA ....................................................................................................52 3. Undue Hardship Defense – ADA/FEHA .................................................................................................53 C. Inability to Accommodate .............................................................................................................................56 1. Separating Disabled At-Will Employees .................................................................................................56 2. Employees With Property Rights: Due Process ......................................................................................56

Terminating the Employment Relationship ©2022 (s) Liebert Cassidy Whitmore iv