Ethical Terminations: Navigating Employee Exits with Legal and Professional Best Practices

In our course, "How to Fire an Employee: Best Practices for Legal and Ethical Terminations," you'll gain the essential knowledge and strategies needed to conduct terminations with confidence, legality, and respect.
Brenda Neckvatal, an international award-winning HR professional and three-time Best Selling Author, will guide you through the critical aspects of employee termination, ensuring that you understand the nuances of at-will employment, labor law violations, and best practices for minimizing risk.

When you consider the challenges of terminating an employee, do you have:

• Fear of legal repercussions due to potential violations of labor laws or wrongful termination claims?
• Uncertainty about how to properly apply at-will employment principles while respecting employee rights?
• Difficulty in managing emotions during the termination process, both for yourself and the employee being let go?
• Concern about maintaining a positive workplace culture even after difficult decisions like terminations are made?
• Pressure to communicate the reasons for termination clearly, respectfully, and without escalating tensions?
• Challenges navigating the impact of recent changes in labor laws, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings, on termination practices?
• Balancing the need to protect company interests with the ethical obligation to treat employees fairly and with dignity?

• Legal considerations in the termination process, including adherence to federal and state laws regarding discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination
• Best practices for conducting termination meetings, focusing on clear and respectful communication of the reasons for termination
• Strategies for managing emotions and reactions during the termination process, with tips for handling difficult conversations professionally
• Approaches to minimizing the impact of terminations on the remaining workforce and maintaining a positive workplace culture
• Understanding the recent NLRB rulings affecting confidentiality agreements and anti-disparaging clauses, and how these changes influence termination practices
• Building a legal strategy that preempts potential issues, ensuring that terminations are conducted in a manner that is both legally sound and ethically responsible

• Understand the legal considerations involved in the termination process, including federal and state laws related to discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination
• Apply best practices for conducting a termination meeting, including how to communicate the reasons for termination clearly and respectfully
• Manage potential reactions and emotions from the employee being terminated, ensuring the conversation remains professional and controlled
• Minimize the impact of a termination on the remaining employees and the overall workplace culture, fostering a respectful environment even after difficult decisions
• Navigate the implications of recent NLRB rulings on confidentiality agreements and anti-disparaging clauses, understanding how to maintain compliance while protecting your business
• Develop a solid legal strategy before consulting with an attorney, making your approach to termination more effective and risk-averse

• Risk Assessors
• Human Resources Personnel
• CEO's
• Supervisors
• HR Managers
• Legal Advisors

Brenda Neckvatal is a three-time bestselling author, an award-winning Human Results professional, and a serial entrepreneur who has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Inc., and US News and World Reports. Perseverance, integrity, and relentless optimism are just a few of the ingredients you experience when meeting and working with Brenda.

Not only does she help business leaders tackle their toughest people challenges, but she is also a recognized expert in crisis management and group dynamics. As a trusted mentor to leaders and managers at all levels, she equips them with the skills to navigate complex interpersonal issues, resolve conflicts, and lead with confidence. By mastering these skills, they can lead their teams into tomorrow’s rapidly evolving business landscape with resilience, clarity, and purpose.

She really enjoys helping people solve their unique problems, and human resources offered her the ability to support her co-workers in a greater capacity. Having the benefit of working for a total of six Fortune 500 companies, she converted her experience into advising her audience to use tried and trusted best practices that help leaders achieve their workforce goals.

In her 30-year career in human resources and business, she has consulted to over 700 small businesses and 1,000 leaders. She has optimized employee effectiveness and helped leaders develop high-performing teams and navigate intense employment-related decisions.

Brenda is a devoted volunteer in the Navy SEAL Community and is constantly finding new ways of supporting veterans of Naval Special Warfare. She dedicates 32 weeks a year to working with The Honor Foundation to support the career transition of Special Forces personnel by providing them with her knowledge, insight, and creativity.