Is it legal to fire an employee over the phone?

Question

Today my boss called another employee and fired her over the phone. Morally, I felt that this was a very unprofessional way to go about terminating someone's employment, but the more I ask around the more I hear that it may be illegal for her to approach the situation that way. Anyone out there that knows for sure?

Answer 1

An employer can fire a person any way they please, whether it be face to face, over the phone, through text messages or e-mail. I was fired by phone a few years ago, and I feel it is a very unprofessional way to let an employee go.

Answer 2

You can be terminated just about any way your employer wants to. And it can be for anything or nothing. They could be having a bad hair day, and yours looks great and get fired!

These are facts! You do not own a job. It owns you. Even if you work with a union card. It may cost the employer but they can terminate you on the spot! Don't worry, if it's taken to court, they can dream up something much worse than you ever thought.

My son just got bumped, because the boss's son wanted his job. And this was with the Federal Government!

Answer 3

I have had to fire a man on the phone, because he wouldn't bother to come to work, or to call me, or to let me know what his plans even WERE. I held his job open for 2 weeks, then, I did fire him on the phone, since I had heard nothing from him. THEN, and only THEN, did I feel comfortable about hiring someone else to fill the position. He, actually, tried to get unemployment by saying I had been unfair. When the agency learned what had happened, there was no discussion, the man did not deserve unemployment, since he had, actually abandoned his job.

Answer 4

Yes, it is perfectly legal. I have fired people over the phone. It normally happens when that person has called in sick yet again. Why make them come all the way to the office just to get fired. I work with some managers that will let their people work the entire shift then fire them. I think my way is a little better..... to me anyway.

Answer 5

I am 95% sure that it is illegal, but, it would depend on the persons contract. I held a position where I had the unfortunate job of doing terminations. There was a lot of paperwork,also the person had to be given the option to quit or be fired. Also, there must be some type of documentation. How can you determine the identify of the person over the phone. Check out the contract, but, I would say no.

Answer 6

Legal? Yes.

Unethical? Very.

Your boss probably wanted to pack up her desk, put things in a box and let the receptionist hand them to your co-worker. Keep control of the situation. Sometimes managers don't want a person back at their desk for any reason. And there may be a valid reason the manager didn't want her back in the office, but not likely.

Answer 7

I have asked my good friend who is a union lawyer this question and he says that it depends in which state (or country) you are in and whether or not there is a contract in place that would spell out something to the contrary. I live in Illinois which is a "right to work" state. This apparently means anyone can fire me at any time for any reason - something doesn't sounds so "right to work" about that!

Answer 8

in case you haven't any longer already, deliver out a coverage observe. cellular telephones are to be grew to become off while they enter the development, and in the event that they choose to apply them while they're on destroy, they must circulate away the development. Warn that they are going to be difficulty to corrective action in the event that they fail to treat this coverage. Then, in case you seize somebody, the 1st action must be a letter of warning or formal reprimand, which might impression their next overall performance eval. And the 2nd breach might bring about suspension or termination, based on the worker's overall performance in any different case. Now, remember, you will possibly be able to ought to permit some lattitude. might you particularly refuse to enable an worker whose spouse grow to be awaiting circulate away his cellular telephone on at artwork, while they're nearing her due date? of course, you will possibly ought to establish some association the place they might take particular situations to a supervisor and get acclaim for issues like this. in the previous you do ANY of this, in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, evaluate whether you particularly need to do it. Does your employer artwork with mushy cloth, and for this reason you do no longer want cellular telephones (relatively with cameras) interior? If no longer, then are your workers relatively abusing their telephones? possibly you should purely take care of the abusers, and permit others to take the occasional call - do you elect to be a style of tyrants that has to administration each and each ingredient an worker does while they're on the clock? maximum folk relish the variety of being waiting to sometimes preserve private employer at artwork - we will not administration, as an occasion, while the wellbeing practitioner's place of work is going to call with a attempt result, and if we will not take that decision, we can resent the hell out of you. save morale in suggestions. it particularly is worth lots better than you will lose via giving purely slightly leeway.

Answer 9

I think that totally sucks and is unethical and unprofessional and just a sorry way to do business. But that doesn't make it illegal.

Answer 10

wow what a rediculous question an employer can fire an employee in almost any way as long as it is clear
you may not like it but seriously do you think there is a question of legality