We really, really, REALLY wish there was a vaccine for the dreaded management affliction known as “Foot-in-Mouth Disease” that too many new bosses seem to fall victim to each year. It’s the condition where eager new managers say or do things in an effort to get to know or connect with their staffs, and then inadvertently cross the lines of privacy, discrimination, harassment or some combination of the three. Saying or doing the wrong thing, even with the intent of being a concerned and attentive leader, can set your company up for some expensive and damaging litigation.
Recently HR Daily Advisor posted a great article about these types of human resources blunders that new managers sometimes make in their attempts to be good bosses. Unfortunately in this day and age, even with the best of intentions, saying or doing the wrong thing to an employee can set your company up for expensive lawsuits. Managers have to be cautious to avoid violating laws and regulations of all different stripes, including the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rules and Department of Labor (DOL) statutes.
So what’s a good company to do? We loved the way the HR Daily Advisor article summed up their advice:
Training, Training, Training.
But before that, the first thing to say to new supervisors and managers is, “until you have been trained, don’t do anything related to HR without checking with me.”
New bosses are just that…new. They are still learning. You need to help them recognize when they should check with you before they speak to employees about certain subjects or do certain HR-related tasks, such as disciplining, hiring, promoting, conducting formal reviews or firing. Trust us: If you don’t, you run the risk of paying for it later…big time.
Looking for great training programs for your new managers, experienced managers or other talent? We have fantastic resources and tools to offer, such as training programs, assessments and employee surveys, and our HR DirectLink services can help you manage your company’s HR needs. Contact us to discuss ways we can help inspire your teams toward increased motivation today!
Tags: ADA, Americans With Disabilities Act, compliance, Department of Labor (DOL), discrimination, DOL, EEOC, Employee Relations, Equal Employment Opportunity laws, foot in mouth disesase, government regulatory and compliance issues, HR Daily Advisor, HR DirectLink services, HR Partnering Services, ineffective leadership, manager-employee relations, new bosses, new managers, new supervisors, training, training programs
