Belief: If you decide to terminate, you can justify it later with a performance narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In California, that move often backfires because the timeline becomes the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When performance concerns show up for the first time in the termination meeting, the file reads like this: the company tolerated the work, decided to end the job, and then wrote the reason after the fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is not always what happened. But it is what the record suggests when coaching, expectations, and written feedback appear only at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proof pressure point is simple. If performance drove the decision, the file should show it before the decision point: specific expectations, documented misses, coaching, and a fair chance to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the first documented performance issues appear at termination, the other side can reframe the reason as pretext. Even a defensible decision starts to look improvised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A safer approach is boring. Write expectations down while the employee still has a path to succeed. Document concrete examples tied to business impact. Apply the same standard to similarly situated employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are already at the termination stage and you do not have that trail, treat that as a limitation of the record. Do not try to manufacture a history that does not exist. Keep the separation communication clean and consistent with what you can prove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This post shares general information based on common patterns I see in California workplaces. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and outcomes depend on specific facts \u2014 no lawyer can guarantee a result. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. AI may have been used to create this post. All content reviewed by a CA attorney before publication. This post may be attorney advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Trust Law, APC, 703 Pier Avenue, Ste. B367, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254: michaeltrustlaw.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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