The current issue of Business Week has a fascinating series of articles all about avoiding disasters in the modern workplace.  As promised, here are the highlights from an employment lawyer’s perspective.

Work-life Balance.  It’s pretty simple:  happy, balanced employees are less likely to sue and happy, balanced managers are less likely to get sued.  Here’s what the gurus suggest:

• Results, not hours.  What matters is actual results, not how many hours employees put in at the office.  Employers that allow telecommuting and other flexible arrangements often see improved productivity and morale.  Focusing on results also helps reduce the potential for discrimination based on non-job-related factors.
• Embrace diverse work styles and schedules.  More and more employers are waking up to the fact that diversity of all sorts is the key to a healthy work environment.   Encourage employees to work in ways that foster teamwork and results, as opposed to mandatory 8-to-5 cubicle confinement.
• Unplug.  Encourage employees to turn off their CrackBerries and to enjoy life every once in awhile.  They’ll be happier and so will you.

Toxic Bosses.  Few things land an employer in legal hot water faster than a toxic boss.  Here’s how to reduce the toxicity level:

• Be ethical or be gone.  That’s the advice of Sherron Watkins, the employee who blew the whistle on corrupt Enron execs.  Companies that fail to address unethical behavior at the management level may put the entire organization at risk.
• Be nice or be gone.  According to Robert Sutton, putting people in positions of power has two unfortunate side effects:  (1) they start focusing more on themselves and less on others and (2) they act as if they are immune from the rules.  One study even found that new managers tend to suddenly develop disgusting personal habits such as eating with their mouths open.  Train managers on the dangers of abusing power, the need to be sensitive to employee concerns and the importance of listening (as well as chewing with their mouths closed).

Death by Bureaucracy.  Bad processes can lead to bad decisions which can lead to bad lawsuits.  Here’s how to avoid choking the organization to death:

• Question Everything.  Periodically assess all processes (even those owned by HR and Legal) to identify and remove potential bottlenecks.
• Communicate.  Promote transparency.  Give all employees access to information for faster (and better) decisions.

Generation Gaps.  The articles provide loads of tips on how to deal with generational tensions in the workplace.  Caution:  Avoid stereotyping and making decisions based strictly on age-related assumptions.  Get to know each individual employee’s strengths, weaknesses and style.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 6:31 am and is filed under Employment Law News, Workplace Disasters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.