Managing Unemployment Claims
Employers are receiving more unemployment claims than ever before. Each unemployment claim costs you, as an employer, a higher tax rate—not to mention it’s unfair for an employee to draw unemployment when it’s not warranted.
When you have an employee leasing company like PEP by your side, unemployment issues become easier on you because we can help you handle all of your unemployment concerns, including the dispute of unemployment claims. Please call us at 1-800-650-3002 for more information.
It is very important that employers protect themselves before letting an employee go. Regardless of the size of your company, you must follow certain steps when an employee falls far short of job expectations.
These steps include:
- Meet with the employee and warn him or her about the offending behavior.
- During your meeting, be specific about the problem and what the employee must do to correct it.
- Tell the employee that the problem may result in termination of employment.
- Document each warning in writing and ask the employee to sign the warning. In the written warning, make it clear that termination of employment is possible.
- Since employees sometimes refuse to sign a warning—or even quit when they receive a warning—have at least one other member of management witness your verbal and written warning. This witness will be able to verify exactly what happened in the meeting.
- Document everything during the meeting—what you said, what the employee said, and anything you agreed upon.
- Remember, if you don’t have a written warning, a witness, or any documentation from your meeting, your employee could tell the Unemployment Office that you discharged him or her without any notice at all. This could qualify the employee for unemployment compensation.
When you have to go beyond warnings to a discharge, immediately write down everything that happened during the discharge, including exactly what was said by you and the employee. Have a witness present during the dismissal who can document what was seen and heard. Unemployment claims could take the government weeks to process. By the time you hear from the Unemployment Office, you may have forgotten important details about the claim.
Employers in Florida should take full advantage of the state’s 90-day probationary period. Florida law says each employer has 90 days to evaluate an employee and decide if the person will be a good fit for the position. If the employer discharges an employee within the 90 day period, the employee may receive unemployment—but the employer will not be charged. Therefore, any organization in Florida that is not happy with an employee’s performance within the first 90 days should go ahead and terminate the employee during the legal grace period.
How else can you protect yourself from dishonest unemployment claims? Another way is by keeping meticulous records for all of your employees. For example, write down the dates that employees are absent or tardy, and the reasons given for these lapses.
