What does being fired for “Cause” mean?

At common law, the general wrongful dismissal principle is that an employee is entitled to reasonable notice of termination of his or her contract with the employer, or payment in lieu of notice.  The exception to the rule occurs when “just cause” exists;  the employer is then entitled to dismiss the employee summarily, without any … Read more

Have You Been Terminated?

When Arnold Schwarznegger took over Donald Trump’s role on ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’, albeit short-lived, he replaced the Donald’s favourite phrase – “You’re fired” – with “You are terminated”.  Although this was an obviously appropriate catchphrase for Arnold to assume, it also happens to be legally correct.  The likelihood of a boss telling you that you … Read more

Just got fired?

Just got fired? Your boss, and possibly an HR rep have just handed you a letter of termination that you didn’t see coming, no reasons given; they have offered you a severance package, and said you have only 2 days, or 1 week, or some other very short time period in which to accept it, … Read more