FT.com - Stocks surged on Tuesday after the US Federal Reserve moved aggressively to head off the risk of a sharp slowdown in the US economy, cutting interest rates by 50 basis points to 4.75 per cent. More

Reuters - Oracle Corp ., the world's third-largest software maker, reported higher quarterly profit on Thursday as sales of products it acquired over the past year helped boost earnings. More
It was clear to me worried supervisors needed the self-help advice of an experienced terminating manager and they weren't getting this from current sources. For example, the sample and ideas should support your need to make the lay off but should encourage a distant, yet compassionate voice. Whenever you notice the first signs of a looming problem make sure you solve it right away. Finally repeat these major procedures regularly at company meetings. Lastly, can you lay off someone when she's away on leave? Corporate outplacement services are great at encouraging former employees to look to the future rather than lingering on the past. Workers who have the most time with the business have less risk of being fired than those you recently hired. Ask about and listen for mitigating causes or for evidence proving this was less than gross misconduct. This gives you an important legal document if the jobholder later decides to file a suit in court.

In the military, service workforce are not obligated to follow unlawful orders and the same holds true in the civilian workforce as well. If the complaints of poor job productivity turns out to be unclear or vague — or — if the worker has not been counseled about her job performance and given a chance to improve — then dimissing a pregnant employee after finding out about the pregnancy will cause you trouble. If the performance problem or misconduct is minor, handle the problem informally with the employee, possibly over lunch or in a one-to-one meeting. And, this will mostly be your triggering event. If you're unsure about how to deal properly with an difficult individual and how to document the problems you are having with this person, you might want to attend a firm workshop or take classes at a nearby college. If the dollar value isn't too high, you might consider just letting the worker keep the company property. After listening and reflecting, you should decide whether to examine further.