Discipline and Termination Decision Kit

Handle a discipline or termination decision with a clear process and a written record. Screen for legal risk, document the business reason, prepare for the meeting with word-for-word scripts, and complete final pay and offboarding.

Five pieces for a documented decision

The Decision Kit takes you from the first red flag through the final-pay handoff. The tracker keeps offboarding steps on schedule, and the two-page Start Here explains where to begin. Built to be used together.

• Start Here. A two-page guide to the files and the order to use them. Read it first, then use the find-your-situation table at the front of the Decision Kit. Complete the Red Flag Screen before making a decision.
• The Decision Kit (22 pages). Nine sections: the Decision Flow, the seven-point Red Flag Screen, the Readiness Checklist, the Decision Memo, the separation and suspend-pending-investigation scripts with the phrases to avoid, the Final-Pay and Offboarding Handoff, the Scenario Playbooks, six worked examples, and a High-Risk Situations section. Includes a print-ready PDF and an editable Word version you can adapt.
• Termination and Offboarding Tracker. Three tabs: a Start Here, the offboarding tracker, and a pre-filled worked example. Assign owners and due dates to payroll, benefits, access, and property tasks. The tracker shows percent complete, counts completed and in-progress tasks, and flags anything overdue before the last day.
• The Red Flag Check. A five-minute quick reference to six red flags behind common, costly mistakes, with guidance on what to do when one appears. It contains the first six checks from the screen in the Decision Kit, in a standalone format you can keep handy.
• Quick Reference (PDF). A one-page guide to the Termination and Offboarding Tracker, including the order to follow, what each tab is for, and which cells to edit.

How to work through the decision

Start with the risk screen, gather the facts, prepare for the meeting, and complete offboarding. The kit organizes each stage. You make the decision, with counsel involved when the situation calls for legal review.

• Check for risk. Complete the seven-point Red Flag Screen before every decision. If any answer is yes, pause, document the concern, and get HR or legal input before deciding. When the screen is clear, move to the Readiness Checklist.
• Document the decision. Use the Decision Flow to organize specific, dated facts. Then complete the Readiness Checklist and the Decision Memo to record the business reason, written support, consistency check, and relevant policy before the meeting.
• Prepare for the meeting. Use the Separation Meeting Script, or the Suspend Pending Investigation script while facts are still being gathered. Keep the conversation brief, factual, and final, with a witness present and the logistics ready. The scripts also identify phrases to avoid.
• Complete the offboarding. Use the Final-Pay and Offboarding Handoff and tracker to confirm final-pay timing, benefits or continuation, access removal, and property return. Review overdue items before the last day and keep a record of completed steps.

What to check before making the decision

A sound decision starts with the facts. Check documentation, timing, consistency, payroll, and policy, especially when an employee has recently raised a complaint. The kit brings those checks together with a written record and meeting scripts, so you can explain the decision calmly to a neutral person using facts and recognize when counsel should review it.

• Check for legal risk before making a decision. A recent complaint, leave or accommodation request, injury, wage-and-hour issue, inconsistent treatment, or contract can affect the legal risk of a routine decision. The seven-point screen helps you identify these concerns, pause, and document the facts before acting.
• Put the reasoning on record. Before the meeting, document a one-sentence factual reason, prior warnings, a consistency note, and the relevant policy. The Decision Memo keeps those details together, while the tracker records the completed offboarding steps.
• Prepare the words as carefully as the decision. Keep the separation meeting brief, factual, and final, with clear explanations rather than a prolonged debate. The scripts provide exact phrasing for each moment, and the phrases-to-avoid list helps you handle the conversation with care.

Who it is built for

Built for

• A manager or business owner preparing for a discipline or termination decision who wants a defensible, documented process and clear words for the meeting.
• A lean HR team building a consistent process across managers, with the screen, memo, scripts, and offboarding steps in one place.
• An operations or people leader responsible for checking legal risk and documenting the reasoning before a decision becomes final.

If you are looking for

• For a layoff or reduction in force across several roles and locations rather than a single decision, see the RIF / Restructure Planning Kit for the full planning process.
• For ongoing warnings, investigations, and PIPs across the team rather than one termination, see the Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations Kit.
• For performance reviews and improvement planning before a termination, see the Performance Review and Calibration Toolkit.

Before you buy

What format are the files and can I edit them?

The decision kit comes as a print-ready PDF and an editable Word file. The tracker is an Excel workbook that also works in Google Sheets. Start Here and the bonus are PDFs. Adapt the memo and scripts to your situation, and save a copy of the tracker for each separation.

What does the kit provide beyond a free template or checklist?

A free template or checklist typically covers one part of a decision. This kit connects the full process: screen for legal risk, organize specific, dated facts, document the business reason in a memo, prepare for the meeting with word-for-word scripts, and track final pay and offboarding. It also identifies when to pause and bring in counsel.

What if my situation is high-risk, like a complaint, a leave, a layoff, a union, or a multi-state employee?

Bring in an employment attorney before acting. The Red Flag Screen and High-Risk Situations section cover complaints, leave, layoffs, unions, and multi-state employment. A yes means pause, document the facts, and get counsel involved. The section explains why these situations need review and what to gather first. The employment attorney handles the legal decision.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. To request a refund, email support@truestephr.com or reply to your receipt within 30 days of purchase.

What happens after I buy?

Your download link appears immediately after checkout, and your email receipt includes the same link. Open Start Here first for the file order and instructions to complete the Red Flag Screen before making a decision. For help getting set up, email support@truestephr.com.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer. Save it, extract it (right-click and select Extract All on Windows, or double-click on a Mac), then open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and editable files work in Microsoft Word and Excel or free equivalents, including LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.

Scope

These working tools and editable templates help you handle performance, conduct, and people decisions clearly, consistently, and defensibly. Performance, pay, and conduct conversations can have legal consequences, and discipline, documentation, and termination rules vary by state. For potential discipline or separation, or complaints involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or safety, have qualified counsel review the facts and your next step against applicable law before you act. General HR information, not legal advice.