Balancing Compassion and Profits: “It’s Business, Not Personal”… or is it?

Posted on August 27, 2015 in Consulting

I required that my wife watch The Godfather before our engagement. It is still one of my favorites and the classic, often quoted one liners keep the movie current. “It’s Business, Not Personal” is certainly one of the most often repeated expressions that you won’t hear me use. Most of my work is personal. Even the tag line “Employment Matters” is a double entendre drawing on the emotional issues of my profession.

Our client’s struggle with a similar issue: how to balance being a compassionate employer while avoiding the problems caused by employee personal problems.  Things like childcare, divorce, and other trouble at home nearly always show up in absenteeism, a general decline in work quality, and a lack of commitment. Some supervisors will cut a worker slack for the unusual, unexpected personal matter that causes someone to be late, absent or otherwise interferes with work.

The trick is defining when a little slack turns into a long rope that the employer cannot pull in fast enough.   Kindness to one worker might be perceived as favoritism by others. Being consistent with generosity is difficult.   A persistent favor may in hindsight look like an accommodation available for all.

So what is an employer to do?

Start with fair policies

An employer should provide sick leave, vacation or some alternative combination of paid time off. It should be reasonable, not overly generous. An employer with no sick time forces people who should be off to expose others to illness.   Fair policies should allow for compassionate treatment.

Stick with the policy

If you have fair rules, they don’t need to be bent. If the rules force too many people out, maybe they are unreasonable and need to be reexamined. Allowing supervisors to have discretion to modify and bend the rules is a recipe for claims. I have said this before and it warrants repeating. Reprimand supervisors for making exceptions to rules without approval from human resources.

Don’t confuse personal problems with protected status

Before taking disciplinary action, an employer should make sure that an employee’s absence for the care of a family member does not qualify for Family Medical Leave. Employers cannot place the burden of requesting FML on an employee. If the employer knows of facts that would support FML, the employer must send notification of FML rights.

If you must bend the rules, define the parameters

Sometimes there will be occasions that management wants to make a special exception. When those situations arise, consider documenting the basis for the exception and the parameters for it. For example, an employer might extend additional sick leave to an employee to allow for additional paid leave with a tradeoff that the additional leave be deducted from a bonus.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and if you haven’t already, take time to watch the Godfather (Parts I and II… only).