If all NPC employees are “at will,” the NPC may terminate an employee, or the employee may terminate his or her employment, without cause and with or without notice at any time. However, NPCs should use caution when terminating an employee. Employee grievance and termination can lead to litigation.

Aside from job abandonment, voluntary resignation, and staff reductions, dismissals are another type of termination:

When an employee’s conduct, action or performance violates or is in conflict with the NPC’s policies, the employee may be terminated immediately and without warning. COBRA may not be available to anyone dismissed for gross misconduct. It is advisable to have a witness observe the meeting.

All employees should be in compliance with NPC policies and procedures and meet NPC standards of work performance (i.e., attendance, punctuality, professional conduct, work proficiency, etc.). If an employee does not meet expectations, the NPC may want to give the employee an opportunity to correct the deficiencies prior to dismissal. This process should be well documented! Generally, the PI, supervisor or executive director should have a meeting with the employee to discuss the problem(s). A warning document should be given to the employee that 1) outlines the problem, 2) the action needed to correct the problem, 3) the specific amount of time (be reasonable) that the employee will have to improve their performance, and 4) the consequences if the problem persists. The employee should be given the opportunity to counter or make comments about the warning and should then sign a document to acknowledge receipt of the warning. Documentation of the discussion, a copy of the warning and the acknowledgement should be kept in the employees’ file.