AFP - Europe's main stock markets eased slightly at the start of trading on Thursday, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares down by 0.01 percent to 5,660.10 points.

Jobs May Take a Smaller Hit This Time (BusinessWeek Online)
BusinessWeek Online - The March employment report was generally expected to be consistent with early-recession patterns seen in the past. Sure enough, no surprises: The unemployment rate spiked from 4.8% to 5.1%. Payrolls dropped by 80,000 workers, with January and February jobs revised down by a total of 67,000. And private-sector employment has shrunk for four months in a row. From this point on, if history is any guide, it only gets worse. Even in the past two mild recessions, each of which lasted only eight months, payrolls went on to post monthly losses exceeding 200,000, and the unemployment rate topped out …
Misbehavior leads to low group spirit in the department and reduces production, quality, and profit. I hope you won't need to use your newfound skills too many times in the future, but it's something any supervisor will need. An inquest for overwhelming misbehavior often gives you enough papers to layoff a bad worker immediately. With escalating discipline, you first give the worker a verbal warning. And gossip in the workplace can do much harm to your workers' morale, their performance and even your small company's reputation. A difficult employee can easily be a safety hazard for your other employees as well as for him or herself. And, if you're dimissing for an unlawful reason, you'll at least know you're inviting a law suit. Due to this law, older workforce know they can sue, and they'll threaten it often against the business. In both of these examples, the improper termination claims are clearly bogus. Worried about Dismissing that Insubordinate individual?

How are insubordination and terminating connected? During your discussion, you must inform the at will employee what he or she did wrong, tell him or her the actions you'll take, and warn him or her of the consequences if the action reoccurs. An impulse dismissing can affect the esprit de corps. It allows companies to track a worker's problems and if you must lay off the worker, a warning form can serve as a legal document. Keep the exit interview brief and avoid saying too much, as anything you say can be used against you later if the at will worker decides to file a lawsuit. In today's office environment, it's tough tracking attendance with flextime and many employees working from home.