What to Do When an Employee Dispute Threatens Your Business
A business is only as strong as its employees, and constant employee infighting or complaints can weaken even the most established company. If employee complaints or reports are disrupting the flow of your business or you’ve been accused of creating an unsafe work environment, it’s time to talk to an attorney and find out what you can do to protect your company from legal liability.
Get the employment advising help you deserve with the Law Offices of Robin D. Perry & Associates. Call us at 562-216-2944 and set up a consultation today.
Common Sources of Employee Disputes
While most employee complaints or disputes are just a matter of clashing personalities or differing work styles, there are some that legitimately create safety and productivity issues in the workplace. Some concerns can put your business in serious danger of a lawsuit. Common issues reported by employees include:
- Unbalanced workloads
- Clashing personalities that limit productivity or create a tense environment
- Unfair distribution of resources
- Unclear roles
- Unfair wage gaps
- Poor communication regarding layoffs, policy changes, or protocols
- Harassment
- Unsafe work environment or management that encourages unsafe work behaviors
- Inequalities affecting protected classes
- Wrongful termination or retaliation
A big part of efficient management is knowing what to ignore, what to handle through informal discussions or negotiations, and what requires the insight of an attorney.
Swift Action is Crucial
Whether an employee’s concerns are the result of unclear expectations, inefficient management, or illegal activity within the workplace, you must move quickly. Ignoring complaints or shuffling them to someone else’s desk is one of the quickest ways to demoralize employees, nudge them towards job listings, and show them that their concerns won’t be taken seriously by leadership.
In some cases, the issue is management-related. While nothing illegal is happening and the business isn’t in real legal danger, it’s still important to take decisive action that improves the work environment for employees and addresses their concerns. For example, if they believe resources are unevenly distributed, conducting an internal review of how hours and resources are allocated across different departments may uncover legitimate issues. Open communication and meaningful action show employees that you are listening to their concerns and interested in what it takes to improve their work environment.
When it comes to disputes between employees, you may want to consult an attorney if an initial meeting with HR does not solve the issue. In some cases, personalities simply do not mesh and both people need to learn to work efficiently together. In others, one person is being targeted because they are a member of a protected class. In that situation, failing to take proper action against the other party could result in a lawsuit against your company.
This highlights the importance of having an employment attorney on retainer to handle issues as they arise. Doing so allows you to get quick answers to questions and fix problems before they multiply.
Take Steps to Protect Your Business
What about when an employee immediately jumps to hiring a lawyer and talking about a lawsuit? It doesn’t matter if you think their complaint is legitimate or not. If an employee is talking about legal action, you need to talk to an employment attorney immediately. Too many employers have been blindsided when they don’t take an employee’s complaints seriously and end up in court. While bringing in an attorney may feel like overkill in some situations, it’s better to be too cautious than too reckless with the future of your business.
How an Attorney Can Help
An employment advising attorney can help you understand what’s at stake in each situation and explain potential ways to address issues. In some cases, for example, an employee’s complaint is the result of a misunderstanding. In that situation, clarification of the employer’s intentions and actions may be enough to resolve the employee’s complaint.
In other situations, you need professional intervention. Mediation and arbitration are two options that may help employees and employers resolve issues and avoid a lawsuit. Additionally, using these options to handle legal concerns may allow both parties to preserve the employee-employer relationship.
In some cases, a lawsuit is inevitable. When this happens, you’ll want an attorney who can fully review your company’s documentation, policies and procedures, and previous attempts to solve the issue at hand.
Choose the Law Offices of Robin D. Perry & Associates
Whether you find yourself in the middle of infighting between employees, accusations of unfair wage practices, or other workplace issues, we’re here to help. Schedule a consultation by getting in touch online or calling us at 562-216-2944.
Attorney Robin D. Perry has been part of the Long Beach Community for over 25 years handling business litigation, employment litigation and advising, criminal defense, personal injury and code enforcement defense for businesses.
