For the same reason, however, separations of long-service employees can result in a significant short-term reduction in cash flow at the time of separation and this might somewhat distort the distribution of dismissals across workers with different tenure. In most countries, specific procedures must be followed. These procedures have been typically justified with by need to give workers the means of defending themselves against wrongful dismissals. However, they can sometimes be complex and constraining and the non-respect of the procedures must be established and sanctioned by courts.