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HR Hot Topics |
Documentation
Good documentation is important for many reasons. One of the most important is that when supervisors and managers generate even as much as handwritten notes, they're creating potential litigation exhibits that could have significant consequences down the road. Frankly, good documentation can mean the difference between winning and losing an employment-related lawsuit. Related articles on Documentation For example, good documentation of a pattern of poor performance and discipline can establish that an employee's firing wasn't related to discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, disability, or national origin. An employer may have a much more difficult time proving that without such documentation. Good documentation also can make employment-related claims less of a headache. For example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other agencies often ask employers during investigations to provide documentation of performance issues involving both the employee who filed the charge and other employees who have had similar issues. Again, the presence of such documentation may make the proceeding much easier to defend. The absence of such documentation may prompt an agency to dig deeper, push to interview witnesses, or take other measures designed to elicit information that it expects should have been documented or find out the reasons for the absence of documentation.
Related articles on Documentation from the State Employment Law Letters
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