Offboarding with Care: Conducting Legal & Ethical Employee Terminations in 2025

04 Dec 2025
10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
90 Minutes
If an employer has exhausted all the necessary steps to help the employee improve his or her work performance – and those steps are not working – it may be time to terminate the employee.

Terminating an employee is not only stressful for the employee losing a job, but also for the employer. There are legal, ethical steps to take when you terminate an employee.  The company must ensure its actions are above reproach.  How the company terminates an employee sends a powerful message not only to the terminated employee, but also to remaining staff, either positive or negative.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Regardless of the company or industry, the way an employer treats their employees as they exit has never been more important than it is today.  When a termination is done well, the affected employee feels he or she has been treated with dignity.    

Most managers, regardless of level, handle the uncomfortable task of terminating employees badly.  The biggest mistake managers make is terminating an employee in a harsh, unkind and insensitive way.  Most times, this happens because managers have not been properly trained to handle terminations and are left to their own devices.  In all too many cases, managers are likely to either say inappropriate things or fail to handle terminations expediently and professionally.

Participants of this webinar will learn techniques and best practices when conducting legal and ethical employee terminations.

AREA COVERED

  • Offboarding is not an afterthought
  • Pre-termination efforts on the part of the employer
  • 3 key aspects of a proper termination
  • Top 10 things NOT to do when terminating an employee
  • Laws affecting termination
  • Legal ramifications of not terminating an employee
  • Contractual and At-Will Employment situations
  • Offboarding involuntary and voluntary separations
  • Conducting the termination meeting
  • Preparing for and effectively dealing with a volatile employee
  • Determine when severance is appropriate
  • Final pay considerations:  Federal vs. State laws
  • Resources to assist the employee in the transition
  • Handling requests for references for terminated employees
  • Communicating the termination to co-workers without invading the employee’s privacy
  • Documenting your termination discussions 
  • Post-termination record retention guidelines
  • Recognizing lessons learned

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

  • Senior Leadership
  • HR Professionals
  • Managers & Supervisors
  • Team Leaders
  • Operations Professionals
  • Compliance Professionals
Regardless of the company or industry, the way an employer treats their employees as they exit has never been more important than it is today.  When a termination is done well, the affected employee feels he or she has been treated with dignity.    

Most managers, regardless of level, handle the uncomfortable task of terminating employees badly.  The biggest mistake managers make is terminating an employee in a harsh, unkind and insensitive way.  Most times, this happens because managers have not been properly trained to handle terminations and are left to their own devices.  In all too many cases, managers are likely to either say inappropriate things or fail to handle terminations expediently and professionally.

Participants of this webinar will learn techniques and best practices when conducting legal and ethical employee terminations.
  • Offboarding is not an afterthought
  • Pre-termination efforts on the part of the employer
  • 3 key aspects of a proper termination
  • Top 10 things NOT to do when terminating an employee
  • Laws affecting termination
  • Legal ramifications of not terminating an employee
  • Contractual and At-Will Employment situations
  • Offboarding involuntary and voluntary separations
  • Conducting the termination meeting
  • Preparing for and effectively dealing with a volatile employee
  • Determine when severance is appropriate
  • Final pay considerations:  Federal vs. State laws
  • Resources to assist the employee in the transition
  • Handling requests for references for terminated employees
  • Communicating the termination to co-workers without invading the employee’s privacy
  • Documenting your termination discussions 
  • Post-termination record retention guidelines
  • Recognizing lessons learned
  • Senior Leadership
  • HR Professionals
  • Managers & Supervisors
  • Team Leaders
  • Operations Professionals
  • Compliance Professionals
Currency:
Webinar Option
Live + Recorded Session
Live + Transcript
Live + USB
Transcript (PDF Transcript of the Training)
Downloadable Recorded Session
USB
Group Session Participants + Recorded

Live Session with unlimited participants. Invite any number of attendees to join.

Speaker Profile

ins_img Diane L. Dee

Diane L. Dee, President and Founder of Advantage HR Consulting, LLC is a senior Human Resources professional with over 25 years of experience in the HR arena. Diane’s background includes experience in HR consulting, training, and administration in corporate, government, consulting, and pro bono environments.Diane founded Advantage HR Consulting in early 2016. Under Diane’s leadership, Advantage HR Consulting provides comprehensive, cost-effective Human Resources solutions for small to mid-sized public and private firms in the greater Chicagoland area.  Diane also develops and conducts webinars on a wide variety of HR compliance and administrative topics for various training firms across the country. …

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