Texas is an at-will state, and that sentence has preceded more bad terminations than any other in HR. At-will status doesn't stop a retaliation claim, a discrimination charge, or an unemployment appeal — evidence does. And the moment to gather evidence is before the termination is communicated, not after the demand letter arrives.
This worksheet is a structured pause. In six parts, it screens for protected activity in the last twelve months, forces a comparator consistency check, inventories the documentation, records the alternatives considered, and requires sign-off from someone with actual authority. If any part comes up blank, that's the worksheet doing its job.
Who should use this decision worksheet
- Owners and executives approving a termination this week
- HR professionals pushing back on a 'fire them today' demand
- Supervisors who need to see what a defensible decision requires
- Municipal and nonprofit leaders whose terminations face public scrutiny
What it helps prevent
- Retaliation and discrimination claims from terminations that follow protected activity
- Bad termination decisions driven by the loudest supervisor in the room
- Terminations inconsistent with how similar cases were handled
- Documentation that fails under scrutiny because it was written after the decision
- Wrongful termination exposure from promises made in policies, offer letters, or interviews
What’s inside
- Part 1 — Decision Snapshot
- Part 2 — Protected Activity Screen
- Part 3 — Consistency Check
- Part 4 — Documentation Review
- Part 5 — Alternatives Considered
- Part 6 — Decision Authority and Final Approval
Before you process payroll, terminate, classify, deduct, or respond to a claim, get the decision reviewed.
Faulkner HR Solutions helps Texas employers, nonprofits, municipalities, and growing businesses fix the people systems behind recurring workplace problems. If this resource raised a risk flag, do not guess your way through the next step.