Termination of Employment

All Project initiated decisions to terminate an employee (involuntary terminations) must first be communicated to SGF HR ([e-mail]) prior to notifying the employee. Projects may not terminate an employee without SGF HR’s confirmation and mutual understanding of the expectations around the termination details. This is to ensure employer legal compliance, final pay rules are being followed, and to mitigate potential employment disputes and claims.

All terminations must be communicated to HR through the members portal via the Employee Offboarding/Termination page on the members portal. Additional termination processes are also provided through that link.

Involuntary Terminations

Involuntary termination reasons include, performance issues, misconduct, not meeting expectations, not the right fit, layoff/lack of work, restructuring, temporary assignment(s) ending, funding issues, etc. In general, most states are at-will employment meaning, the employer or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason as long as it’s not illegal. Employers cannot terminate employees for discriminatory reasons or for retaliating against an employee for engaging in a protected activity.

Severance Pay

Severance pay may be offered to employees in involuntary and/or extenuating circumstances in exchange for a signed Separation Agreement. Severance payments are sometimes appropriate, in cases when an employee is involuntarily terminated (with or without cause, or during a layoff), or in rare instances when an employee leaves voluntarily but under some duress. SGF’s HR team may recommend or require a project to offer severance in certain circumstances, or a Project Director may request that a departing employee be provided severance.

• Project policies may not include promises of severance. Project Directors should not indicate to employees a promise of severance (or expect it themselves).

• All requests for severance payments must be approved by SGF and should not be expected or promised until approval is given. Severance payments greater than approximately 1 months’ pay will require that a release (Separation Agreement/Non-Disclosure) be signed in exchange for the payment. Severance payments will not be paid without a signed release. SGF HR will provide all Separation Agreements.

Voluntary Terminations

Please notify SGF of voluntary terminations prior to the employee’s last day by submitting the termination details via the Employee Offboarding/Termination page on the member’s portal. Employees who leave voluntarily must provide their resignation in writing.