Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Depending on your age or what your parents listened to, you may or may not be familiar with a song recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1962 called, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". It was a number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, 1962 and was a solid hit all over the world, sometimes with the text translated into foreign languages. For a new generation, Clay Aikens re-recorded it in 2012.

Why is ending a relationship—be it at work or in your personal life so difficult? Maybe it’s because you don’t like conflict. Maybe you don’t like to hurt someone’s feelings? Maybe you get too emotional when you end a relationship?

Employment terminations can be difficult for both managers and employees not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because many employers are afraid of making a mistake and not providing the employee who is leaving with all of the required forms. To make break ups a bit easier, CEA has prepared a Termination Toolkit to give managers specifics on how to 'rightfully' end an employment relationship. Free to all CEA Members, just log in and visit the HR Tool Kits page.

The Termination toolkit includes fact sheets on how to process the final paycheck, frequently asked questions, and all required notices and forms that California employers must provide to an employee who is leaving the company. Regardless of who ends the employment relationship, the responsibility falls directly onto the employer to make sure all employment laws are followed.

CEA toolkits cover a variety of topics ranging from Workplace Violence Prevention Plans to Job Descriptions to Stay Interviews. Each toolkit will walk you through the ins and outs of a particular topic, step by step, so you feel prepared and don’t miss any of California’s requirements. If you haven’t already perused our toolkits—check them out today—there’s a wealth of knowledge just waiting to simplify your work life!