So, just what defines fair treatment? Protect your school by following these simple guidelines:
- Be clear. Make sure your school's staff and faculty understand in advance what your expectations are, and what the consequences are of consistently not meeting those expectations.
- Help personnel professionally develop and excel. Everyone on your staff has different and unique needs. It isn't fair to assume that everyone will grow and advance at the same pace. When there are problems, communicate with individuals about the areas they need to work on improve, and tell them what resources are available to help them.
- Consistency. It's vital that you treat similar situations in the similar manners. Favoritism is never acceptable, and can only lead to legal issues if it's made obvious and known. Have guidelines established for dealing with certain situations. Of course most situations differ, but by having a general step-by-step plan of action you'll be better equipped to handle each instance as they may arise. And try to think back on past situations before entering a new one. This will allow consistency to be maintained.
- Document everything as you go. Clearly documenting each step makes the problem clear to employees, the steps they need to take to correct the situation, and what happen if they fail to improve. The clearer the documentation, the easier it is for other readers to understand. You'll need this in the case of legal actions.
Documentation is your best friend in all HR concerns. It's your protection from legal repercussions. For example, an employee might claim that his/her termination came from nowhere. With documentation, you can present to both the attorney's and the court all the stages and steps taken.
Last-chance agreements, as well as progressive steps, should be signed by both you and the employee for validation.
