Doing Your Own Dirty Work

Are any of your curious like this business attorney Tulsa is? Sometimes, you just need to know. With your business, you may feel that you need to know every little detail that goes on. But I want to caution you that this approach may not be the best. When I worked as a litigator, I once spoke with our human resources person about getting reimbursed for an award plaque. I bought the plaque and intended to hang it up in my office. Our HR person thought this was a legitimate expense and reimbursed me for it. That was nice as the plaque was very professional and came with a hefty price tag. I later found out that my boss and thanked him for it. He looked at me puzzled. He told me he had no idea that I was reimbursed for it. His response was that he did not always know what went on at the business attorney Tulsa firm even though he was the managing partner.

I would encourage you to adopt a similar approach. Even though it is your business, whatever is going on may not be “your business” or your business attorney Tulsa. Here are three scenarios where you could easily land yourself in hot water.

First, let’s say a member of your team is going through something deeply personal. Maybe they went to a party and things went to far with someone. Or maybe they lost a family member or friend. Maybe the person is just sad but does not feel comfortable sharing it with you. If you push, the employee could lose trust in you. Worse, the employee could quit. Worst, the employee could file some type of harassment suit against you causing you to have to pay your business attorney Tulsa a lot more to get out of it. If an employee is being distant, then just express a single concern that you care and that you are there if the employee wants to talk. Depending on the severity, maybe you offer to the employee that he/she goes home and return whenever the employee feels better.
Second, if you have lunch with a person of the opposite sex, regardless of your orientation, then make sure there is a third-person present. Here is a very scary and real scenario that happened to a friend of mine. He was working for a company when one of his bosses’ wives asked him to meet him at a public place. This was quite common as my friend was in sort of an assistant role where my friend did whatever he was asked to do. Whenever my friend met the wife, an advance was made. Thankfully, my friend had the quick wits and discretion to avoid any exposure. He confided in me and I thanked him for doing so. Honestly, I was sincerely impressed he had the self-control to avoid doing something stupid. I’m not sure many could handle such an event. After the event, my friend was polite and avoided putting himself in a situation alone with that person. If you have a meeting with another person, make sure there is a third-person present like a business attorney Tulsa. It might be silly, but imagine if one person gets the wrong impression. This could land you in all kinds of trouble.

Third, imagine that whatever the issue your employee is dealing with is a health concern. You have probably heard the word HIPAA, which is an acronym that stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ask a business attorney Tulsa. HIPAA is a medical privacy law that protects patients from disclosure. Healthcare providers spend thousands of dollars every month ensuring that their electronic records system is immune to hackers and inadvertent disclosure of medical information. Imagine your employee gets a call that she lost her baby, that he has cancer, or that chemotherapy has stopped working. This information is private and solely for the recipient. It is up to the recipient to disclose this information if he/she chooses. A HIPAA violation could land you in all kinds of hot water which is why we recommend you talk to business attorney Tulsa.

The guiding concern for you as a business owner should address whether or not it affects your business. If it does, then you may have to get involved but always consult a business attorney Tulsa first. If it does not, then I would advise staying out of it. Here is a quick example of when my boss had to get involved. Very early in my legal career, I worked at a very small law firm. We had three lawyers, two legal assistants, and a receptionist. It was a small, but cozy, operation. At one point, one of the legal assistants became very disgruntled. There was some inner-personal drama between her and one of my bosses. This caused the workflow to come to a halt. When you are at a small law firm, and the work stops, then the money stops. That is never a good thing. So my boss held an impromptu meeting in the middle of the office to address the issue. Some harsh words were spoken. But I think that started the healing process and work started to pick back up. The point is you may have to get involved and it may get temporarily ugly. We are all human. Sometimes, humans are messy, even business attorney Tulsa can be.

If you have a conflict at the office, and you’re not sure how to handle it, consider calling the RC Law Group. As a business attorney Tulsa, I have seen and helped resolve a substantial number of conflicts. As an adjunct settlement judge, I have helped resolve a variety of lawsuits in active litigation. As a person, I have seen even more and helped resolve some very difficult issues. I am happy to observe the issue, report back to you, and talk through a solution that avoids litigation and helps improve productivity.