46. Fired, Downsized or Laid Off

"Get to know God in prosperity
so God will know you in adversity."
Muslim Proverb

Read our Newsletters and Q & A’s:

i. "Cause" for Firing

  1. NL 1: “Cause” for Firing – What Exactly is It?
  2. NL 2: Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Duties – The Four “Situational Exceptions”
  3. NL 3: Did You Know That . . . Recording Calls or Meetings Can Get You Fired
  4. NL 4: Gifts at Work – Giving or Accepting – are Not Wise
  5. QA 1: “Can having a business website ‘on the side’ be reason for termination?”
  6. QA 2: “If I am terminated for cause, can accumulated leave time and comp time be denied me?”
  7. QA 3: “Is stating that I would not stay in a building on fire grounds for termination?”
  8. QA 4: “Must I give a tape recording to my boss?”
  9. QA 5: “What is ‘after-acquired cause’ for firing?”
  10. QA 6: “With no anti-texting policy, can I be fired for texting?”
  11. QA 7: “Can an employee be fired for giving notice (of resignation)?”
  12. QA 8: “Can I be fired for being ‘insubordinate’ when I am not even working?”
  13. QA 9: “Is it fair to fire someone for re-sending to others unsolicited, offensive emails?”
  14. QA 10: “Is there an agreed definition of ‘insubordination’?”
  15. QA 11: Being Out Sick: Can I Be Fired for That, or During That?
  16. QA 12: Did You Know That . . . Recording Calls or Meetings Can Get You Fired
  17. QA 13: Eavesdropping on the Boss: Is it “Cause” to Fire Me?
  18. QA 14: Terminated for Unpaid Parking Ticket – Is That Possible?
  19. QA 15: “Can I get fired for refusing to work on the weekends?”

ii. What to Do Before . . .

  1. NL 1: Being “Managed Out” – Part 1: The 7 Basics
  2. NL 2: Being “Managed Out”? – Part 2: The 10 Telltale Tactics
  3. NL 3: Being “Managed Out”? – Part 3: What to Do, in Five Stages
  4. NL 4: Here’s What to Do if You’re Laid Off . . . or Think You Will Soon Be
  5. NL 5: Hey, It’s August . . . We Call This “Protect Your ‘Rolodex’ Month”
  6. NL 6: Letter of Education – Key Words & Phrases
  7. NL 7: Make a “Go File” . . . Pleeeeeze
  8. QA 1: I might be laid off. Should I raise concerns about discrimination now, before it happens?
  9. QA 2: Letter of Education – Key Words & Phrases
  10. QA 3: Rumor I might be fired. What should I do?
  11. QA 4: “Subsidized COBRA in Severance – What’s that?”

iii. What to Do After . . .

  1. NL 1: “Thinking of Your Own Small Business? – Four Paths to Pursue”
  2. NL 2: The Increasing Use of “Institutional Leverage” In Resolving Workplace Disputes
  3. QA 1: “Fired for being overheard speaking to a colleague; anything I can do?”
  4. QA 2: “Fired for false accusation. What can I do?”
  5. QA 3: “I was laid off in a large reduction in workforce. The decision to choose me for layoff doesn’t make sense. Is it too late to ask for the reason they chose me? Who should I ask?”
  6. QA 4: “If laid off and offered a lower job, will declining it result in losing severance or unemployment benefits?”
  7. QA 5: “Laid off. I confirmed my receipt of the Layoff Documents. Did I Goof?”
  8. QA 6: “Fired for Unknown Misconduct – Any Recourse?”
  9. QA 7: “If it hasn’t yet been accepted, can a severance offer be changed, or withdrawn?”
  10. QA 8: Fired, without Notice; What can I do?
  11. QA 9: I was supposedly “downsized,” but found out I was replaced. Any recourse?
  12. QA 10: Must employers provide a reason for terminating an employee?
  13. QA 11: Should I persist in asking WHY I was terminated?

iv. Is that Legal?

  1. QA 1: “Can the Board Hire one of its Members, and Lie about It?”
  2. QA 2: “I was laid off from my job, but then I received a letter that said I resigned. Are my unemployment insurance benefits at risk?”
  3. QA 3: Fired a Week AFTER I Quit? – Is That Legal?
  4. QA 4: Fired, but Not Told: Is that Legal?
  5. QA 5: Is it legal to lay off both husband and wife if they both work for the same employer?

v. General

  1. NL 1: “18 Tips to Address Job-Loss Anxiety and Blues”
  2. NL 2: Job Loss Rebound – How to Do It “A.S.A.P.”
  3. QA 1: “Do I have a Right to Know the Reason I was Let Go?”
  4. QA 2: “Is there ‘life’ beyond a horrible firing?”
  5. QA 3: “Must an employer offer new jobs to people recently laid off?”
  6. QA 4: Fired from Two Local Government Jobs: Any Way to Combat Possible Political Influence?
  7. QA 5: Laid Off for a “Phony” Reason; Might it Be Discrimination?
  8. QA 6: “Fired after I resigned; will it affect my open job offer?”


“If you live your life the right way,
your later years will not be a winter,
but rather a harvest.”

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