Getting to Work
If an employee doesn’t get to work in the first place, he is obviously unable to perform his duties or support his coworkers as they perform theirs. Poor attendance is a major problem for many SC human resources managers, and without a clearly defined policy, accurate, unquestionable recordkeeping, and diligent adherence to disciplinary policies, the problem simply gets worse. In addition to simply failing to come to work on time (or at all), some employees are experts at spotting the loopholes, unclear language, and gaps in your vacation/sick day/paid leave policies. These employees spend more effort figuring out how to “play the system” and get some extra time off than they do actually performing their jobs!
Behaving at Work
Once an employee is at the office, there are any number of ways that he can hinder the work going on there rather than help it move forward.
- Inappropriate Dress. Does your company have a dress code? Even if you don’t want to appear oppressive about this relatively minor issue, it is important to set some boundaries. Provocative and excessively casual attire create a distraction for other employees and present a negative image of your company as a whole to the public.
- Inappropriate Speech. Don’t take it for granted that your employees will refrain from using coarse language and inappropriate conversation topics in the office. While some employees may see no problem with these activities, others will be deeply offended—and any clients that hear them certainly will be!
- Wasted Time. The results of studies concerning the average amount of time wasted on the clock by employees are always staggering. Facebook and other online activities, in particular, are tempting time-wasters for employees.
Leaving Work
Even when an employee is no longer at the office, your SC human resources department may still have to deal with potential problems. Unemployment disputes are extremely common and potentially very costly for the employer. Claims of wrongful termination can escalate to the point of a lawsuit, and a company without accurate records and precise documentation of an entire termination process faces the real threat of paying high legal penalties.
SC Human Resources Solutions
Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the negative effects that these problems have on your office’s productivity and overall morale. There is one major step that SC human resources managers should take: producing a detailed handbook for employees that clearly explains the policies by which they will be expected to abide while working for the employer.
Once the employer and the employee have both signed off on the policies contained in a handbook, it becomes the reference point in any future disputes, corrective actions, or termination. For this reason, the handbook must be very clear, detailed, and comprehensive.
Corrective actions and grounds for dismissal must also be very clearly spelled out—and adhered to consistently. Even if a policy is clearly laid down in the handbook, selective enforcement of it among employees will lead to claims of unfairness and loss of respect.
A SC Human Resources Department for Your Company
Covering all your bases in order to avoid human resources nightmares takes an incredible amount of planning, anticipating problems, and devising fair and balanced corrective actions. Complete Employee Services offers human resources management services that handle these difficult details for you so that they do not become a drain on your company’s progress. From the simplest dress code infraction to the most serious wrongful termination lawsuit, let our professionals provide the solutions to your human resources problems.