Employment Law and Leaders
/Employment law is my forte.
On some days, there's nothing better than reading a recent ruling, grabbing the salient points and being that much more equipped to advise and guide. Employment law is an area that employee relations HR pros need to pay attention to on a regular basis because it is under constant refinement. I am attending the 21010 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute for that very reason.
I entered the conference for facts and I left after day 1 with an insight.
The plenary session included a Title VII update and as the presenting attorney wrote, "the 'human drama' we see in our day to day work continues to play out in some pretty amazing factual scenarios." Yes, it was amazingly unbelievable as we reviewed rulings on religious discrimination, sexual harassment, sex stereotyping, and pregnancy discrimination. And then, right there 60 minutes into the session, it struck me.
Employment law is an entire profession responding to a void of common sense and respect between people. The cases we reviewed were nothing less than a reflection of the disappointing and troubled state of leadership in organizations. The legal system is complex, but leadership is not - bring judgement to a situation, consider the totality of the circumstances, and think before acting.
Why do so many leaders get this wrong?
