4J On-Site: Terminations

Generally, the higher the job level, the less likely it is that a person’s separation from the corporation is recorded as an involuntary termination, regardless of the circumstances surrounding his or her departure. Above a certain management level, if a corporation determines that an employee is not performing as expected, he or she may be offered the opportunity to resign. Therefore, it would not be unexpected to find that the records show all middle and senior-level management terminations as voluntary.

Many terminations, of course, will be genuinely voluntary; some for reasons such as “better job opportunity,” or “to spend more time with my family.” Such departures, however, may have been influenced by any number of factors, such as a perception of lack of promotion prospects that may or may not have EEO implications.

Even absent statistical disparity, COs should review involuntary terminations of managers, as well as a sample of voluntary ones. COs must conduct the analysis itself in the same manner as any termination analysis, complete with interviews.