Keeping Your Boss Out Of Jail

I was reading a trade journal earlier today and it was mentioning how most Human Resource Departments focus on keeping their companies out of trouble (abiding by the law and avoiding lawsuits).  I remember a GM telling me, “Your job is to keep me out of jail.”  I don’t know about you, but this was never my favorite part of HR.  I didn’t sign up to be a labor attorney and enforcer of rules.

Although I always tried to spend more time on the other side - the fun side of HR: Employee Engagement activities, Management and Leadership Development, Employee Relations, etc.  I did make sure that I wouldn’t have a mishap on the other side of the equation.  ( I only had one major issue in all of my years - a wrongful discharge suit - and we won that, even in California!).

I kept my boss and the rest of the staff “out of jail” using these principles:

1.  I made sure that all interviewers only asked job related questions during the interview process.

2. We instituted a “clean” culture.  There was zero tolerance for informal or formal sexual advances, language, gestures, off color jokes and the like.

3. I made sure that we participated in “outreach” opportunities and, then, documented everything.

4. I prepared an EEO/Affirmative Action Plan to the government specifications (actually, I had one of the best experts in the field as a consultant).  I also purchased a service that supplied me with specific demographics tailor made to our industry and job classifications so I wasn’t constricted by the Fed’s numbers).  I also kept a tally of our results to ensure we stayed on plan.

But, these four items pale when compared to the what I did on the other side of HR.  When the employees are engaged, excited and passionate about their jobs, the company, the mission and the vision, the furthest thing in their minds are calling their attorneys or contacting the labor board.  I still believe that 80% or more of our time and effort should be on the fun side of HR.

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