At some point, the employment relationship between an employee and 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 section explores 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 appears below, and you can explore specific topics through the links box.