In some cases, employers should opt for progressive discipline, experts say
Grounds for immediate dismal vary from company to company—violations of certain policies can lead to an employee's quick exit.
"Violations of anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies may justify immediate termination," following an investigation, said Joseph Harris, an attorney with Barton in New York City. "In addition, violations of an employer's confidentiality policy, code of conduct, conflicts-of-interest policy, workplace safety policy and workplace violence policy may also warrant immediate termination."
Violations of these policies—if sufficiently egregious—may create potentially substantial legal exposure for the employer, he noted. Such violations also may pose a risk of potentially serious physical and emotional harm to employees.
Nonetheless, Harris recommended addressing these situations on a case-by-case basis, with prompt and thorough investigations, rather than adopting blanket, zero-tolerance policies. "Although often well-intentioned, such automatic termination policies can backfire because they may discourage reporting," he said. "That can result in the underlying behavior continuing, possibly getting worse and, consequently, the risk to employers and employees increasing."
With substantiation of the conduct having occurred, some other examples of misconduct that might justify immediate termination include possession of weapons in violation of company...
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