Terminations Made Less Terrible (For Everyone)

We’re back talking about startup employment law! In this episode, we double click on terminations. One of the hardest things every founder and manager has to do in their job is letting people go. Whether it's due to poor performance or a restructuring, there are right and wrong ways to handle it. Our guest, Fenwick employment lawyer Sheeva Ghassemi walks us through the steps on handling terminations legally and compassionately.

We cover:

• Common grounds for termination including poor performance and reorganization

• How behavioral-based performance issues can be harder to support than job description level performance issues

• How to handle terminations legally and with fairness and compassion

• The importance of documentation and performance management in the termination process

• How to conduct termination meetings

• When and how to cut off access to company resources and ensure compliance with state-specific requirements

Meet the Guest

A standout in California’s labor and employment community, Sheeva Ghassemi has served as a trusted advisor to over a thousand companies (and counting) over her career. She advises companies on day-to-day employment matters, helps them navigate lawsuits filed by employees and guides them through employment issues in financings, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings. Sheeva prides herself on being both a legal advisor and business partner to her clients, helping them weigh the legal risks against their business needs. She is often at the forefront of employment issues, including DEI, AI, and the gig economy.