Is itpermissable for a supervisor to talk to an employee about what termination notice is required in front of a subordinate of that employee?
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Is itpermissable for a supervisor to talk to an employee about what termination notice is required in front of a subordinate of that employee?
Asked on September 14, 2010 under Employment Labor Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
There is certain personal information--e.g. an employee's medical status, social security number, any convictions or a credit score turned up by a background check--that an employer should not divulge in front of other employees. However, purely employment-related matters are not protected, so an employer may discuss termination notice with an employee, for example, in front of that employee's subbordinates, or even discuss exactly why someone is being terminated (as long as there was no settlement agreement to the contrary). However, if anything said was untrue, that may be defamation; and as noted, there is certain personal information which it is considered a violation of privacy to divulge. If you suspect either of those two things occured, consult with an employment attorney with whom you can share all the details and who can evaluate the situation.
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