Charlotte Hardwick
Child custody? How'd that get to be an employer's concern?
When an employee faces child custody litigation, it will effect their
ability to do their job. And it often causes legal consequences for
their employers as well. Unless you know where to draw the lines
regarding your legal obligations and exposure, you could find your
employee's custody difficulties costing the company in a variety of
ways.
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Custody problems have a major impact in the workplace, where they effect
other employees, as well as hurting the bottom line. Worse yet, they can
be disruptive in the workplace for a long time. Unlike other kinds of
employee stress, a custody dispute could keep creating turmoil until the
employee's youngest child turns 18. A matter may seem to be resolved,
only to rise again years later as the child's circumstances change.
Financial Costs Add Up
The widespread effects of custody litigation on employers isn't a new
issue. It's just that nobody has been noticing
how many negative ways it creates problems in the workplace. But you
need to, because the risks and harmful consequences to your enterprise
of ignoring it are significant. When you consider the impact on other
employees, your personnel policies, and financial exposure, this article
should be a wake-up call.
Impact on the Employee's Performance
· Absence for appointments with attorney, evaluations, court dates, etc.
· Stress making them more distracted, and even ill (so more sick leave)
· Co-workers having to pick up the slack, so they feel put upon
· Unavailable for travel or extended hours
· Involving other employees in the unfolding dramatic developments,
which sidetracks them all from the job at hand
· Likely self-medication with drugs or alcohol to deal with emotional
strains
· Depression, anger and other emotional spill-over onthe job
Impact on the Supervisor or Employer
Extra supervision is usually required to compensate for erratic employee
performance issues. Distracted employees aren't capable of doing their
best work. Plus, you need to be vigilant as to how custody developments
effect co- workers, and the extent to which they're pulled into the
personal problems. Constant updating and consoling distracts everyone
involved from their work. In an effort to be "understanding" it's easy
for supervisors to fall into enabling behaviors, that are harmful both
for the business and the employee. These could include:
- "Covering Up: Providing alibis, making excuses or even doing the work
rather than confronting the issue that they're not meeting their
responsibilities.
- Rationalizing: Developing reasons why their continued behavior is
understandable or acceptable.
- Withdrawing: Avoiding contact with the employee or their problems.
- Blaming: Blaming others for the continued problem behavior or
performance.
- Controlling: Taking responsibility for their performance by moving
them to a less important job (or reducing their obligations)
- Threatening: Saying you'll take action (ceasing to cover up, taking
formal disciplinary action) if they don't improve."
Quoted from Win Your Child Custody War, Chapter 11.
Be Alert to the Company's Risks
The employer must never sacrifice company policy under such
circumstances. It should already have policies in place to deal with
these matters - and then stick with them. If the personnel matters are
mis-handled, even for well-meaning reasons, the legal exposure would be
costly in both dollars and time.
And don't overlook the related issues which put the company at risk:
possible workplace violence (one need only pick up
the paper), compromised company confidentiality (as private work-related
matters are made public records through court submission) and accidents,
which are more likely when a person is distracted. And that doesn't even
address the costs related to lost jobs. (It costs approximately $125,000
to hire and orient a new employee.) Custody matters often trigger
relocations or resignations.
No workplace is immune. Just because custody-related problems haven't
come up before, it's unwise to disregard
the headaches it can cause. Knowing the proper way to support the
employee and where to draw the line serves them
as well as the organization.
If you want to protect your business from being held hostage when an
employee goes through a custody dispute, you need reliable information.
Because the consequences to your operation could be crippling.
--Charlotte Hardwick, Author, Win Your Child Custody War, the most
comprehensive and respected guidebook on custody (640 pg, updated
yearly) Resources to put you in control, arming you for every step
of a dispute
http://www.custodywar.com
Reprinted with Permission |
