We’re not actually talking about training your managers with YouTube videos (though that’s an interesting idea). We’re talking about hammering home the concept that, in this highly plugged-in age, managers could well see their worst workplace moments broadcast worldwide if they’re not careful.
Lawsuit-avoidance expert and PleaseSueMe.com founder Hunter Lott, who spoke recently at the SHRM convention and expo in Las Vegas, advocates the “YouTube Rule” — don’t do anything in the office that you wouldn’t want to see on YouTube.
He tells the story of the manager who arrived home after a long day to discover his 10-year-old declaring that “Daddy lost it at the office today.” In fact, Daddy had lost it at the office that day — and the person he was angry with shot video of the exchange with her phone and posted it to YouTube!
HR has three pieces to its job, Lott says: the harmony part (morale, culture, conflict resolution), the productivity part (since the recession, getting at least 110 percent out of everyone), and the compliance part (not getting sued).
These days, the three have to work together, Lott says. He tells of a lawyer who represents employees who told him that employees don’t sue because of their legal rights, or because of money. They sue to get even. So treating people right is critical, and that means the three parts are equally at play for HR managers.
For example, he says, the number one charge by the EEOC is retaliation. That’s not just compliance – it’s the culture and harmony pieces as well.
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On a plane, a seatmate asked Lott what his job was. Lott said, “I help companies avoid lawsuits.” “Are you a lawyer?” asked the seatmate. “No, I’m in HR,” Lott said. “Oh, that’s worse,” the person said.
Reluctance to Sue
Too many CEOs Lott deals with are afraid to fire, he says. One CEO asked him, “What
do I do with an employee who keeps coming to work drunk?” Lott wanted to ask, “Whose side of the family is it? Yours or your wife’s?”
Don’t be held hostage by bad employees, Lott says. (“We can’t fire; we’ll get sued.”) “Good people know who the bad ones are – and they know you know, and they’re watching you to see what you do,” Lott adds. Firing is not a compliance issue. Firing is a strategy, Lott says.
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Millennials? Don’t Blame Them
Lott often hears, “The millennial generation won’t stay, so I won’t train them.” “OK, don’t train them and they’ll stay,” Lott replies. An oft-quoted figure is that 3 to 5 years is the average length of stay of an employee today.
Lott says that we take this number and assume that 20 years ago it would have been much higher, but that’s not the case. In 1983, the number was 3.5 years. So you can’t blame the millennials, says Lott, you have to blame your management.
In fact, the millennials are going to force us to be better managers, Lott says. They know their rights — they’ve grown up watching “The Office” and reading “Dilbert.”
In tomorrow’s CED, more of Lott’s “Please Sue Me” suggestions, plus an introduction to an informative, timely conference you’ll want to be sure to attend in just a few weeks.
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