Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

When I was a little boy and dad came home from work talking about firing someone, I took it literally and was alarmed. His further explanation to clarify the firing comment was not of help. "What do you mean, you canned them?" Being burned or put in a can did not seem to be very humane to an eight-year-old.

When it comes to your career, though, such actions are equivalent to the literal.

The first thing to do if you get the call to the HR Department or if your boss shows up with the HR staff in tow is nothing. Greet them courteously, offer them a seat. Admit to nothing, sign nothing. They may put a termination offer in front of you with the implied statement that this is the best you can expect. Don't believe them.

Of course, if you are in a union, the procedure will be quite different and strictly follow the contract. You will have an officer of the union at your side to counsel you. If you don't have this officer, go get them.

So, I am talking about you being out on your own, no union. First thing to do, ask for some time to think about it. Then find a good employment lawyer and consult with them.

If you are of a certain age, years of service, or gender, you have advantages going for you.

We recently had a friend, female, forty years of service, excellent track record. She got a new boss whose objective from day one was to drive her out. She wanted her to resign. Our friend stuck to her guns, even though the boss took all her work away and gave it to others. She came to work on time, left on time and kept a very tidy desk. Finally, the boss and HR came to her with a one-year severance offer plus a few other goodies related to health insurance. They even held a retirement party for her. She toughed it out to her advantage.

The firing process is like a court proceeding. In fact, it is a court proceeding or at least can lead to a court proceeding.

When conditions get to the point you are no longer wanted, you are no longer wanted. You do not fit in with the company's plans any longer. Your objective at this point is to make sure that you don't screw up the proceedings and then maximize what you can extract from your (now previous) employer.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

If you would like to dig a little deeper [click here].

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