Two months before the holidays, Nadia—Integrator at a 120-person EOS-run logistics company—finally terminated a manager who was crushing morale and missing targets. The manager’s response (“I’ve spoken to an attorney about retaliation.”) exposed what leadership missed: a recent workers’ comp claim, intermittent leave, and overtime complaints—plus almost no documentation. The outcome was predictable: months of distraction, legal spend, and leadership bandwidth evaporating when execution mattered most. In this episode, California employment attorney Andrea Paris breaks down why terminations are one of the highest-exposure moments in the employment lifecycle—and how to build a clean, defensible process that protects your business without losing your humanity. What you’ll learn

Why terminations are uniquely risky: emotion, money, identity, and the “narrative vacuum” created when evidence is thin
The ≈90-day “recent activity” risk zone and the types of protected activity that can make timing look retaliatory
The “no-surprise termination” principle—and the coaching cadence that makes it real

The 90-day lookback audit checklist you should run before any termination decision
Day-of termination do’s and don’ts that reduce escalation risk

Rick’s Nuggets (practical takeaways)

Get your policies in order
Document everything
Treat people similarly and with respect

Links & mentions Guest Links:

LinkedIn: Andrea Paris

Company: Andrea Paris Law

Host Links:

LinkedIn: Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

How to Terminate and NOT Get Sued with Andrea Paris