Employers - Protect Yourself from Custody Battles that Hold Your Company Hostage

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.

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 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 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.

About The Author

Charlotte Hardwick, author Win Your Child Custody War, the most comprehensive and respected guidebook on the topic (640 pages, updated each year). For resources that put you in control and arms you for every step of your custody dispute, visit http://www.custodywar.com

---

Top 10 Things Every Business Should Provide for Every Worker - Including the Boss!

Doing business and meeting the needs of workers is increasingly... Read More

Innovation Management ? does the idea fit with the firm?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Critical Success Factors - Next

The Critical Success Factors Focusing on the... Read More

Why Employee Satisfaction Surveys And Employee Exit Surveys Make Good Sense

In a competitive world with the need for businesses to... Read More

Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and... Read More

Coaching Champions at Work

I saw Brian Kerr (the Irish national football coach) on... Read More

Hire The Person, Not The Resume

"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right... Read More

Is Chess Good for Management?

The game of chess has been applauded and taught in... Read More

Communication Mix-Up

My friend Delia is the owner of a small private... Read More

Hows Your Company RQ (Reputation Quotient)?

In light of recent corporate scandals, from Enron and Global... Read More

You Cant Afford the Luxury of Disengaged Employees

In today's business environment with increases in staff reductions and... Read More

ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success

You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More

Why I always Keep my Promises

Integrity is very important to me, and I try hard... Read More

Creativity Management - The Value of Being Prolific

When asked his secret to success, the author Graham Green... Read More

The High, High Price of Distrust

A paper manufacturer with over 300 employees once announced that... Read More

Driving of work trucks

Each time you or one of your work crews cruises... Read More

Employee Performance - If You Want the Best, Get Personal!

This is a story about a man and three dogs.I... Read More

Making Powerful Requests That Launch People Into Action

Do you ever wonder why people do not simply do... Read More

Taking on Six Sigma Programs - Guidelines for In-House and Outsourcing Decisions

Based on a wild guess by a close associate of... Read More

Dividing The Loot

It is when the going gets better, that the going... Read More

How to Manage Your Most Valuable Assets - People?

People management and leadership has become a major topic of... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: An Unexpected Benefit

This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly... Read More

Enable Continuous Improvement of IT Services through ITIL

One of the major benefits, if not THE benefit of... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Adapting Human Resource Functions

This article relates to the human resource functions competency, commonly... Read More

Giving a Good Appraisal Interview

Although this performance discussion is an opportunity for you to... Read More

Important Communication Tips For Managers

The following tips will help you communicate more effectively with... Read More

Does Your Management Style Remind People Of Something They Read In Dilbert?

With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, the comedian who does the... Read More

Data Delivers Credibility

Over the past couple of days I've been setting up... Read More

Time Management Tips for Managers

Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the... Read More

Rethinking Workplace Security: How the Rules Have Changed

The workplace has traditionally been a dangerous place. Very early... Read More

Questions To Ask Employees You Want To Retain

Times of cost cutting and downsizing has dramatically impacted the... Read More

Innovation Management ? Eliciting Dominant Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Focus On the Prize

People talk to me about making personal and professional changes... Read More