Child custody? How'd that get to be an
employer's concern?
When an employee faces child custody
litigation, it effect's their ability to do their job. In addition
et often causes legal consequences for their employer as well.
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 circumstances of one of the parents or children
change.
Financial Costs Add Up
The growing and
widespread effects of custody litigation on employee or 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.
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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
· Stress
making the employee distracted, and even ill (sick leave)
·
Co-workers have to pick up the slack, so they feel put upon
·
Unavailable for travel or extended work 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 on
the 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 the employee 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."
Be Alert to the Company's Risks
If the personnel
matters are mis-handled, even for well-meaning reasons, the legal
exposure would be costly in both dollars and time. 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.
Issues which put the company at risk. 90% of
Workplace Violence is related to an employees divorce and child
custody problems. Almost every day the newspaper reports workplace
violence by an employees significant other, 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. None of this address the costs
related to the loss of the most important resource for a company:
the loss of a good employee. It costs approximately $125,000 to hire
an orient a new employee. Custody matters often trigger relocations
or resignations.
No workplace is immune. For many years it was
assumed that an alcohol addiction problem was the employees personal
problem. When drugs brought attention to addiction and the workplace
employers instituted programs to identify, monitor, and guide their
employees. Just because custody-related problems haven't been
addressed in the past doesn't mean they are not negatively effecting
your company. Knowing the proper way to support the employee and
where to draw the line serves them as well as the organization.
Help Your Employees
and Protect Your Company
You can help:
1. Make sure your proactive substance abuse
procedures apply to your employees divorce and child custody
challenges.
2. Supply your employee with the Win Your Child
Custody War manual.
Why is this book more effective than our standard
counseling?
While counselors deal with many kinds of problems
this manual is a compendium of information on only child custody.
The challenges your employee faces require specific information and
techniques that can be accessed 24/7.
