Every employer has different policies regarding what they expect from their employees. Often, they will explain those expectations in their employment contracts or employee handbooks.
In addition to many of the common boilerplate clauses, like anti-discrimination policies, companies with multiple employees may also want to add accountability policies to their handbooks or contracts.
A carefully-worded and properly enforced accountability policy will reduce the likelihood of workers bringing questionable wrongful termination claims against your business.
Accountability policies require that management address issues with workers
When you have an official policy to hold your workers accountable for their behavior and work performance, you can then take punitive action when they don’t meet certain standards. A good accountability policy combines specific, objective standards clearly communicated to workers, as well as rules about how employers will address shortcomings.
For example, failure to meet performance metrics could lead to specific consequences. However, the accountability policy should give the worker with a subpar performance numerous opportunities to correct their mistake. By addressing their shortcomings and providing them with support and guidance, the company can encourage accountability and improve transparency regarding termination and promotion decisions.
When individual workers know that they have failed to meet certain standards, they will be less likely to challenge a decision to let them go. This is particularly true in cases where the company has logged objective data and worked with the employee to try to resolve the issue. Good records of management or human resource efforts to work with the employee can be as important as discipline records when fighting wrongful termination allegations.
Exploring accountability policies and other ways to protect the business can help your company become a respected and trusted employer.