| Unfortunately, it is not against the law to make | | | | that sat close to the printer. |
| stupid choices and behave in lazy, ignorant ways. | | | | Most companies work hard to raise the morale of |
| However, it does affect sound business, and | | | | their people. They are aware that happy and |
| affects the level of income the business can | | | | contented workers will produce better than |
| achieve. This is the basis that an Employee | | | | workers that are disgruntled. The attendance is |
| Advocate will use to move forward in presenting | | | | better and insurance rates for medical treatments |
| cases against companies that have wronged one | | | | run lower. These facts make the management |
| or more of its employees. | | | | that declared no odor producing foods allowed in |
| Most legitimate companies have policies in place | | | | their lunch room, (no fish or popcorn), seem |
| that will meet all of the labor laws set down by | | | | counter -productive to corporate where they are |
| the Department of Labor, and sometimes they | | | | trying to come up with morale-boosting incentives. |
| will even hold "awareness" classes to train their | | | | This would have been an inexpensive way to |
| management team on how to manage, but once | | | | raise morale. |
| that manager is on their own, there is often no | | | | When you are the employee of a company that |
| follow up or accountability. It is up to the | | | | practices inept decisions by its management |
| employees to make the company aware of the | | | | team, the company bottom line is affected and |
| injustices that are taking place, and many | | | | that affects the employees as well. If your |
| employees do not want that kind of responsibility. | | | | company has profit sharing or bonus based |
| Being labeled as a trouble maker can shorten an | | | | incentives, those dollar amounts will be less than |
| otherwise great career. | | | | they need to be. |
| It is not uncommon for employees that have | | | | An Employee Advocate approaches the company |
| been wronged in a job to just quit their job and | | | | with the injustice being perpetrated, presenting |
| move on. When this happens, the management | | | | proper documentation of witnesses or evidence |
| that has behaved in an improper manner does not | | | | of the event in an unemotional and systematic |
| have any motivation to change the behavior and | | | | way that presents how this behavior harms the |
| it will usually just continue with new employees. | | | | company. This contact gives the company an |
| Management level employees occasionally take | | | | opportunity to change its behavior and make |
| short cuts to accomplish what they feel will save | | | | restitution if needed. If the company chooses to |
| money for the company and propel their own | | | | ignore the confrontation, it will present a platform |
| career, and they become the ones that | | | | on which legal counsel can build a strong case. |
| implement practices that are abusive to their | | | | A major part of the cost of legal fees is the |
| employees. The obvious, illegal, areas like working | | | | research that needs to be done in order to build a |
| without being paid, being denied breaks or lunches, | | | | case, and the first confrontation with the |
| harassment of any kind, and not following through | | | | company. If an employee has utilized the services |
| with promises that have been made are just a | | | | of an Employee Advocate, the ground work has |
| few of the areas where employers err. These | | | | already been done. There will be clear |
| are obvious, and most employees know how to | | | | documentation that the company has been given |
| deal with injustices like these. In 1992 the director | | | | an opportunity to correct the problem and has |
| of the EEOC stated that 98% of all complaints | | | | chosen not to. It is not the action, but what |
| were not violations of law, but were the result of | | | | motivates the action that breaks the law. |
| untrained or poor management. It is the idiocy | | | | It is never right to see an injustice and walk away |
| that is not illegal that I want to address today: | | | | without making a change. We have accomplished |
| management that does not consider the cost of | | | | so much as human beings, in putting laws in place |
| their decisions. | | | | to protect working people. Do not be a part of |
| Companies generally agree that it costs | | | | regression by ignoring any injustice that might |
| approximately $25,000 to take a new hire from | | | | have happened to you or someone you know. |
| the date of hiring until they are profitable to the | | | | Until there is a way to legislate stupidity, laziness |
| company. Therefore, how wise was it for a large, | | | | and ignorance, we are the watchdogs and need |
| well-known national company to fire an employee | | | | to be accountable to each other and for each |
| for continuing to tear paper off of a dot matrix | | | | other. |
| printer too loudly? It irritated fellow employees | | | | |