It Doesn’t Have to Be Scary to be an Employer

Being an employer can be scary at times for sure. With employment regulation and litigation, especially here in California, every employment action you take can be like walking through a haunted house. Don't fear The Reaper as the song goes, just make sure you've taken the right steps to be as scare-proof as possible and gain the confidence you need to weather any fearful situation that comes your way.

Employment related settlement demands and litigation are on the rise and there’s sign of a let up in the near future. With new laws in the books for 2022, continuing issues with COVID related illnesses and associated time off, AND a coming economic downturn, being an employer has never seemed scarier.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! Below we highlight three ways to eliminate the fear behind making tough employment decisions and taking the necessary action when faced with employee challenges.

Be Bulletproof with Wage and Hour Issues

We’ve spoken about being bulletproof from wage and hour issues before (https://blog.infiniumhr.com/bulletproof/ ). While no business can be 100% bulletproof, taking the necessary steps in how you manage wage and hour issues, and general employment actions will lessen your chance of problems immensely.

It all boils down to removing any potential gaps in your practice and your policy which would allow a plaintiff’s attorney the opportunity to file any sort of settlement demand. This is the new frivolous lawsuit, minor technical violations that get exaggerated and then thrown in with a pile of sometimes unprovable claims that range from retaliation to harassment to discrimination.

By removing any chance of facing timekeeping errors, unpaid overtime, missed meal breaks, or late payment penalties, you take away the tools attorneys use to push you to a settlement.

Don’t let problems fester

The longer an employee is with you who is underperforming, having behavioral issues or experiencing excessive attendance issues, they are more than likely to wind up causing bigger issues. For reference see our previous blog on dealing with employee problems (https://blog.infiniumhr.com/dealing-with-difficult-employees/ ).

Employee problems don’t fix themselves and can signify an underlying issue that will eventually come out in the open. When it does, the likelihood of making a bad decision, or giving an employee the window of opportunity to find a willing attorney, increases greatly. Take care of any tough situations early. Get help, we’re here at Infinium to help.

Be a Deliberate Employer

We’ve touched on this in the past and continue to advice our clients to be very purposeful with regards to being an employer (https://blog.infiniumhr.com/bulletproof-your-hr-managing-employees-with-a-purpose/ ). This has never been more necessary with the changing times.

How you manage your employees every day will help give you confidence when the tough decisions need to be made. Very few employees cause problems, but it is those few that will cause you the greatest headaches. By being a deliberate employer, you can set the standard in your business and help build a culture of productivity and excellent employee morale. This will tamp down issues before they become problems.

As Halloween and 2023 approach, don’t let fear control you. Be a great employer, but one that doesn’t open the door to the scariest people in the business world…plaintiff attorneys. And don’t go into that dark house alone, you’ve always got the HR pros at Infinium at your side. We’ve seen some pretty scary stuff in our time!