Most employers seek to avoid litigating against employees or former employees.  Yet, not all employers take the steps necessary to prevent these lawsuits.  Keith Clouse, a Dallas employment lawyer, identifies three key employer missteps that could lead to a lawsuit: harassment, retaliation, and employee leave. He advises employers to focus on these trouble zones and to implement the following measures:

1. Harassment: An employer should ensure that it both maintains adequate policies and provides on-going training to eliminate workplace harassment.  An employer should strive to enforce a zero-tolerance policy.
2. Retaliation: All too often a supervisor responds to an employee’s complaint of discrimination with revenge.  Again, an employer should ensure that it both maintains a policy against retaliation and that it trains managers on appropriate responses to complaints of discrimination.
3. Employee Leave: The Family Medical Leave Act enables some employees to take leave to address serious medical issues. The statute’s details and procedures, however, can be tricky for employers to navigate.  Employers should ensure that a human resources executive or in-house attorney understands these requirements and can help the employer respond appropriately to requests for leave.

For more information on how to protect your business from a potential lawsuit, contact the employment lawyers at Clouse Dunn LLP at info@cdklawyers.com.