When Employers/Managers/HR Behave Badly

There is not enough recourse for employees when employers behave badly. 

Let’s face it – some employers suck.  I have seen this more times than I can count, especially in small businesses.  Many business owners have a tendency believe they can do whatever they want with no consequences.  Behaviors include extreme favoritism, bias, discriminatory actions (known and unknown), and failure to handle employee relations issues adequately.  In family owned and operated organizations, the behaviors may be worse as people related to each other often struggle to balance personal and professional relationships. 

Sure, there are a lot of employment laws designed to protect employees.  And they often do a great job of living out their purpose.  However, the process an employee has to endure to file a complaint and pursue their own justice is tedious, not to mention expensive.  Most people do not have the resources available to take such action.  And so, many wrongdoings by employers go unreported. 

My friend Jon Hyman recently addressed this issue in his blog, Ohio Employer Law Blog.  As an employment attorney, Jon is often asked why he writes about the terrible things employers do.  His answer is simple – many still have a lot to learn, as demonstrated by the vast number of complaints received from employees each week.  I applaud Jon’s efforts to educate and support employers to be the best for their people.  Here is a link to his article: https://www.ohioemployerlawblog.com/2024/10/why.html

I want to take this a step further and encourage all HR practitioners out there to be a part of the solution, not the problem.  We have to teach and model the behaviors we want to see in our leaders.  Allow employees to be themselves.  Train managers to get to know their people.  Show empathy when employees are struggling.  Ask questions and seek to understand first, not judge.  I want to see more of this in the workplace. 

Because the truth is that we will never truly know what is going on in an employee’s life.  And our personal lives affect our professional lives.  The concept of expecting people to leave themselves at the door when they come to work is old school and unreasonable.  Embracing employees for who they are is the only way to achieve a truly inclusive environment. 

I was blessed with the opportunity to share my personal story at DisruptHR Detroit on October 3^rd.  While being personally therapeutic for me, I really wanted to take the opportunity to challenge HR to do and think differently.  It is a call to assume positive intent when dealing with employees.  Here is a link to the video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11428436/video/1023781596.  I hope that you will view my talk, think about the message, and share with others.  And when you encounter a peer who is struggling with employee/employer behaviors, remind them to dig a little deeper to uncover the real issue.