Credence & Company Policy Template: Involuntary Termination Without Cause Policy

Christian love involves caring, discipline and accountability. Sometimes this means making difficult decisions that impact the lives of other people. This is particularly difficult in situations when a decision is made to terminate an individual(s) for reasons beyond their control (e.g. financial, restructuring or downsizing). Extra care must be taken in these situations to implement these decisions with care and respect and attention to the dignity of the individual(s) directly affected.

Each person is beloved by God and has inherent worth, gifts and dignity. Therefore, any decision to involuntarily terminate employment will...

• Involve care to preserve confidentiality within the legal limits of the law;
• Involve examination of information and prayerful discernment prior to arriving at a decision;
• Include confidential consultation with appropriate others external to the congregation (e.g. denominational representatives, legal advice, others);
• Be made in a timely way.

In the same way, the manner in which an individual is involuntarily terminated reflects our commitment to honour the inherent worth and dignity of those involved by…

• Meeting or exceeding the obligations under the Employment Standards Act and other related legislation;
• Conducting the termination interview with care and respect including the provision of a support person;
• Involving the individual(s) to the greatest extent possible in determining how the termination is communicated and implemented;
• Ensuring the provision of pastoral care to the individual (and significant others) by someone external to the congregation/organization;
• Supporting the congregation/organization to act and speak respectfully of the terminated individual and others involved in the termination.