National Clothesline

t’s less than a month before 2003 as I write this column, and I firmly believe in New Year’s resolutions. While my personal list for 2003 will look remarkably like my list for 2002, there is always a chance I will be able to cross a couple off for the 2004 list.

Because many companies operate on a calendar year, this is a good time for employers to resolve to do those things or make those changes that they have been meaning to do for years, but just haven’t had the chance. Here are some suggestions, in no particular order:

• Get an employee handbook or revise the handbook you have. Laws change frequently, and policies that were legal five years ago may be illegal today. For those employers without handbooks, courts and juries want to see the rules of the workplace in writing, especially in employee termination cases. Employee handbooks are a good place to put those rules.

• Clean your bathroom walls. This would not have made my list last year, but I read today a case where a male truck driver was allowed to sue for sexual harassment because of bathroom graffiti. Isn’t that a load of #$%!. So, if you haven’t taken those sexually explicit pictures off the wall or repainted the bathrooms in awhile, this may be a good time to do so.

• Train your supervisors. As I have stated many times in this column, an untrained supervisor is a recipe for disaster. Many companies have supervisors who cannot spend $25 without permission, but can take employment actions that can put the company out of business. Invest in a half-day seminar on employment law and conduct for your managers.

• Write your political representatives. Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. I suggest you write your state and federal representatives to seek changes in the laws that affect your ability to work profitably. I guarantee the people who want to make those laws tougher for employers are making their voices heard.

• Meet with your employees. When was the last time you met with your employees to discuss mutual concerns? Employees want information, and employees can give you good information. Even if the first couple of meetings seem stilted, after awhile, employees will begin to open up about what is on their minds. You may find brewing problems that can be solved simply and cheaply.

• Review all your contracts with vendors. Your cell phone company will not call you to tell you how to save money. Your cell phone, telephone, computer, and other service plans are probably obsolete. Don’t wait a minute longer to seek out new plans and cheaper alternatives.

• Read a management book. Go to your public library, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or some other source of books and buy something on management. I guarantee you will learn something that will save you 10 times the cost of the book.

• Review and evaluate your workforce. You should have a system of evaluations for employees. Further, you should decide each year who your marginal employees are with a view toward replacing them. As I have said in this column before, bad employees tear a business apart.

• Audit your wage and hour practices. You are violating the wage and hour laws. I guarantee it. Make sure you are computing wages, hours, overtime, and the like correctly. Three years of back pay, liquidated damages, and attorneys’ fees are not pleasant.

• Join a trade association. Misery loves company. Trade associations are valuable resources for information on a variety of topics, including labor relations, insurance, industry-specific regulations, and other topics. Attend a few meetings each year.

Take a few minutes to jot down your resolutions for 2003. Who knows, you might scratch a couple off the list and make your business better in the process.

Frank Kollman is a partner in the law firm of Kollman & Saucier, PA, in Baltimore, MD. He can be reached by phone at (410) 727-4300 or fax (410) 727-4391. His firm’s web site at www.kollmanlaw.com has articles, sample policies, news and other information on employee/employer relations.