Working notice is employers' most effective, underused tool

Employers who embrace working notice will save themselves considerable monies, writes Howard Levitt. Photo by Getty Images/iStockphoto

Three weeks ago in this space, I argued that working notice — telling an employee their job will end after a defined period — is the most underused tool in Canadian employment law .

Employers wrote me by the dozens to say it was a revelation. Some were astonished they had never considered it. Others said they had, but admitted they lacked the courage to try it.

So, let’s continue the conversation.

Working notice is not only legally sound; it is (counterintuitively) more humane than firing. It spares employees the humiliation of the sudden escort out the door and gives them time to plan their next step. Employers save money, avoid the “ severance lo