Only if there is just cause for termination, the employer may terminate the employee without severance pay. As an employer, it is very difficult to establish just cause for employee incompetence or poor performance. To do so, the employer must prove that the employee fails to perform essential duties or meet the required working standard, and that this has been ongoing; an isolated incident of poor performance will likely not be sufficient. To establish just cause for termination, there must be an established objective standard of performance, and proof that the employee’s poor performance is their own fault. Any mitigating factors can be considered by the courts. Among other, mitigating factors may include volume of work, whether the employee was hired as an experienced hire, and the training provided.
If an employer claims that there are ongoing issues of unacceptable performance, then the employer must provide a warning to the employee. The warning must include the employer’s performance related concerns and the consequences that may result. It is advisable that the warning be in writing and is clearly presented so that there is no possibility of confusion. An effective warning will identify what the employee is doing wrong, along with the preferred standard by the employee. Further, support for improvement such as supplemental training should be provided and stated in the warning, with a time limit for improvement and potential consequences for failure to meet the stated objective standard.
There are rare instances that may grant an employee just cause to terminate without a severance for isolated incidences. These cases usually involve gross negligence or incompetence that cause an employer significant harm, or a lack of skills that the employee claimed to have during the hiring process.
Whenever faced with an issue of poor performance by an employee, it is always best to seek the advice of an employment law expert. It is difficult to establish just cause for performance related issues, so any decisions to terminate without severance pay should be reviewed by an employment lawyer.