Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system. The allergic immune system misidentifies an otherwise innocuous substance as harmful, and then attacks the substance with a ferocity far greater than required.
Laying off an employee is different from firing an employee. Firing means letting a worker go for any reason, whereas a layoff refers to an employment termination based on economics, usually involving more than one worker.
Take law firms that only count billable hours - causing their associates to stay in the office so much that eventually they burn out, says Thomas Klett, a consultant at Watson Wyatt. But don't give up just yet. Office productivity can be measured, if you do it on an employee-by-employee basis.