Avoiding Legal Ramifications Through Proper Documentation

If you own a business, are managers, and/or a supervisor, a human resource person or a organizational adviser will tell you proper documentation is key for both the company and its employees. This is the most simple thing a management person can do that would benefit the company on possible legal ramifications consequences.

Here are some tips to follow on proper documentation:

In my instance, being on second shift, you don't have access to the human resources department after 5 or 6 pm unless you have permission to contact them at home. Therefore, I follow thorough and proper documentation whenever I give performance feedback, hear negative comments, during safety incidences, employee complaints, and possible terminations.

Whenever your writing documentation for a company, use facts and only facts. Start with the date, time, full names of people involved, and the location. With any incidences, be as detailed as possible, yet there doesn't even need to be an incident to write documentation. It is a good practice to be writing a log on the daily occurrences with work load, priorities, and employee happenings. Proper documentation is important when you know it is going to involve guidance from upper management or human resources.

For example, an employee contacted the police on a personal complaint of a stalker that was a former employee. The police arrived at the company location because the employee was afraid to take lunch since the former employee was seen driving by the building before the work shift and during lunch break. For the company, we need to provide a safe environment for our employees. I always state that no matter what, we want employees to leave work in the same condition as they clocked in.

In the documentation to human resources, write the full name of the employee, the date and time you spoke to the employee, and a full description of what happened. Especially, in this example, the times the employee said they saw the former employee drive by the building. Use the employee's words in your documentation as exact as possible since most of the time you are documenting after the incident. Then write what you did as a person in a leadership role and what words you used with the employee.

Depending on the severity of the incident, human resources would step in to further investigate asking you, the employee, and any one else that were involved questions. Having proper documentation will assure that you represented yourself in a professional manner and that you handled the situation to the best of your ability.

In the employee's point-of-view, you are also protecting them. As the person they report to, you helped them tell their side of the story. If the scenario will be passed to human resources, let them know that you will be documenting the conversation so that we can do everything possible to correct any issues or concerns.

Having proper documentation is showing that you are prepared for any legal ramifications that could happen. It may save your job.

Hope this blog post was helpful to you, "Avoiding Legal Ramifications Through Proper Documentation"

Spunky Jones.

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