Last Chance Agreements

There is nothing magical about writing an effective Last Chance Agreement. The best are short and to the point and have been reviewed and approved by HR and legal experts, on management’s side, and by the employee and her/his representative (s). Both sides must remember that once these agreements are signed they become the tool used to measure success on management’s and the employee’s part in correcting whatever situation or behavior needed improvement. I found these agreements to be an excellent tool in helping management and employees outline specific actions which both sides needed to take to correct the situation. I also found that agreements which are “weighed” in favor of one side or the other usually did not work and, more important, when challenged did not withstand third party review.