Evidently after the city council took it's action to fire Debra Owen, certain city officials then went to tell her she was fired and asked her if she wanted to resign instead of being fired. Debra stated her response was that they already fired her. She stated she was told that she would be paid for her accrued vacation leave but there was no provision for severance pay.
This has the same ring to it as the Felix firing. Felix got six weeks severance pay for resigning instead of being fired. She kept her mouth shut because she knew if she said she was really fired before she actually left, she would lose her severance pay which she said was very important to her considering she was blindsided by being fired from her job.
I guess this is the new practice in dealing with appointive officials at the city. Get them to resign so you can spin the story to your own benefit and keep the fact that they fired you from the public. The mayor's business acumen must not include employee relations.
There is no question that politically appointed employees have no civil service protections and may be terminated without cause. But it sounds like decency in dealing with employees, no matter their employment status, has left the building. Politically appointed individuals still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Remember if the employee resigns, they are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits and the employer's account is not charged. If terminated for no basis, she should be eligible for benefits, but that is not the case for a voluntary resignation.
ReplyDelete"Be fired or resign....it sounds like decency in dealing with employees, no matter their employment status,has left the building."
ReplyDeleteSeems the new wave sweeping the country. Especially in so-called "right to work" states like SD. My spouse was left with this same ultimatum after more than 30 years of loyal service. But when upper management figured out they could get that same job done for less than a over 30 year vet could, resign or be terminated became a reality. In this day and age, never take your poition with your company for granted, because it can and does happen...a lot more than we might think.
My spouse chose to resign with dignity and head held high. More than I can say for the company.
Polly
"The mayor's business acumen must not include employee relations."
ReplyDeleteThe mayor's business acumen consisted of following memos from Miles Beacom and T. Denny. This is what you get from his first real taste of independent decision-making authority.