Oh, the headache of employment laws!
Even if employers do follow employment laws, sometimes, employees will do whatever it takes to get employers in trouble – sometimes employees have a good case, sometimes they don’t – it’s up to the employer to try to prevent lawsuits as much as they can. The most useful way to avoid employment lawsuits is have the best training possible for managers.
Here are some common pitfalls that can land your company in a lawsuit:
Wages. Previous experience can affect wage difference, but when employers hire an employee with the same experience and qualifications for the same position as another employee the wages should be equal. How can employers determine what wages should be for employees? Compare wages to competitors.
Inconsistency. Many employers really don’t think about how inconsistency among various situation could lead to discrimination cases. Having consistent hiring and onboarding practices can prevent these problems from leading to lawsuits. Provide training for all hiring managers in your company to make sure everyone is on the same page. Follow a guideline questionnaire for interviews and help every new employee feel welcome.
Discrimination. Discrimination is, most likely, one of the most common pitfalls in the workplace. Discrimination comes in many forms (i.e. favoritism, religious views, racial slurs, etc.) and can be avoided by making sure all managers follow company policy and study employment laws.
These examples are just a few ways of common employment lawsuits; you can’t control nor prevent employees from filing employment lawsuits against the workplace, but staying in compliance with employment laws can help you avoid them.
Training staff members – especially, managers – is the first step to reducing risks for employment lawsuit cases, what strategies do you incorporate in your workplace to avoid them?