While President Trump made “You are fired” a national slogan for some employers, California has set specific protections in place for employees no matter how “bad” an employer thinks they are. What happens on the television is particularly a fantasy as in order to be terminated, an employee must receive their final wages at the time of termination, along with reporting time pay if they are scheduled but have not begun work. For each day, they are late in receiving their final pay, they are entitled to a “penalty” of their hourly rate up to eight hours each day.
More often than not, these penalties can add up to more than the wages owed. Recently, a client received over five hundred dollars in penalties for the employers failure to pay wages that were in the tens of dollars. As an employer, be aware of what is owed, including reimbursement, mileage, and overtime.   Also, it is a good idea to do an exit interview as it may give you insight as to the goings on at the department the employee worked at. As an employee, it is always good to review the check and to know what hours and days you are being paid for.