Is there anything different we should do when terminating a remote employee?
For the most part, no. Your termination process should look much the same. However, there are a few extra steps you may need to consider:
- If your employee is in a different state, follow the notice and other termination requirements for that location. For example, if your company is in Michigan, but the employee works in California, California law will apply.
- Consider the employee’s time zone when scheduling the meeting.
- Plan how you’ll get back any company equipment the employee has in their possession (if they’ll need to ship things back to you, have them do it during work hours on their last day, or if that’s not possible, add the time it will take into their final paycheck).
- Have all termination paperwork ready to email or mail, ensure you have an accurate email or physical address for the employee, and send it by a speedy method where you can verify receipt.
This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law.
