I fired an employee, but only told his co-workers that he and the company had “parted ways” on the effective date. I am being criticized now for creating a misunderstanding over whether he quit or was fired. How much can we tell other employees about why an employee left?

Posted  06-15-2015

Steve Duggan replies:

I don’t see anything wrong with what you told other employees. The only thing they should be told, as a matter of privacy, is that he was no longer with the company and any other information they may need to do their jobs. They don’t have a “right” to any other information. As with any other matter that may result in gossip, employees should be told that simply that as a matter of respect and privacy and productivity, they should not be speculating about anything more.

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