At some point in time the employment relationship between an employee and an employer will come to an end. In some circumstances it will be the employee who makes that decision through resignation, to advance their career or for a change, or they may make the decision to end their working career and retire.

In other circumstances, the decision will be made by the employer. Changed business conditions or the impact of technology may mean the employer needs to make positions redundant. Other employees may, through their own acts of misconduct or poor performance, leave their employer with little choice other than termination. How an employer reaches the point of having to dismiss an employee needs to be well managed, well documented, fair and reasonable.

This Separation of Employment section will look at issues around disciplinary action and the investigation process; the process for redundancy; dealing with abandonment of employment; resignation; retirement; and issues relating to the dismissal process. The most recently updated content appear below and you can explore specific topics through the links box.