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In addition to being gut-wrenching for HR, layoffs are a legal landmine. Here are four layoff errors to avoid.

To date, 13 states have adopted their own versions of WARN. Some cover smaller layoffs than the federal WARN Act. Others add a longer notice period. And several also require providing severance payments to laid-off employees in addition to providing advance notice.

Employees who think they’re about to be disciplined or fired often look for ways to delay or prevent the inevitable. A favorite tactic: invoking the job protections built into the FMLA and ADA. However, there’s a foolproof way to protect against these frivolous charges.

An employee has recently provided two weeks’ notice of his intent to resign. Can I tell the worker that he is not needed for the two weeks and avoid paying him for that time?

Terminations are probably the hardest things HR professionals have to handle—and probably the most legally dangerous. One wrong word can trigger a lawsuit. You need to keep calm and communicate your message without escalating the tension. Here’s a 10-step process to follow.

The cost of defending even a meritless lawsuit can run into the thousands of dollars. One way to prevent such costs and embarrassment is to teach supervisors to avoid angering employees in the first place. Train them to be aware of these four common mistakes.

Most organizations conduct exit interviews with departing employees to determine why they’ve resigned. Exit interviews can be a great HR tool, but you have to know what questions to ask and, at the same time, what questions to avoid for legal reasons.

A hiring manager told HR they have issued a verbal warning to an employee who is on a new-hire trial period—and that they do not believe the employee will be successful in the position. Are there any potential legal ramifications in extending the probation while searching for a replacement?

If you’re faced with a staff member who isn’t a good fit, is termination the answer, or would it be better to demote the employee? The answer is, of course, it depends. Always weigh demotions case by case.

There are lots of legitimate reasons employers might need to terminate employees. In all cases, HR must review the reason for the termination and ensure the decision will be defensible in court should the former employee decide to file a lawsuit.