A Better Workplace Starts With Employers
When business owners ask me for employment advice, the first thing I tell them is this: Treat your employees with respect. Show your employees you value their time and their energy. Give them a reason to work hard and be dedicated to you. It’s the simplest, most cost effective piece of employment consultation I can provide. And hey look, there it is, just sitting there on the internet for free! I should charge for that.
The second thing I tell employers is comply with all laws. All of them. No cutting corners. No clever exploitation of apparent ambiguities. No game-playing with timecards or schedules or paystubs. Pay your employees for all of their work. Give them their breaks. Enact policies that catch timecard inaccuracies when they happen, and resolve them immediately. Make compliance with employment law your utmost priority.
But always keep in mind rule number 1: respect. Since California and Federal wage and hour law are terrifically complicated and full of minefields, you will screw up compliance with the law eventually. Everyone does. I guarantee that I could find at least one violation of the California Labor Code if I did an audit of your payroll and employment policies. And if your employees hate you, guess what? They’re calling me, and I am finding it.
My Goal For Employers
In a perfect world, Plaintiff’s employment lawyers wouldn’t exist, because employers would be treating 100% of their employees fairly 100% of the time. Although it might seem counter-productive to actively try and put myself out of business, I would love it if I didn’t have to sue employers. Unfortunately, I often do.
I have worked with a variety of profit and non-profit businesses in a variety of different areas. And yes, I have also sued a variety of profit and non-profit businesses, from your Fortune 500 mega-corporations, to your local 4 AM pizza delivery joint. Every business is different. While your HR company rep is going to claim they know all the various ways to avoid getting sued by people like me, you could also just ask people like me. I’d be happy to talk, I don’t bite. In the process hopefully we can make your workplace a more productive, profitable venture.