Stragegies for Growth - 50% Decrease

50% Decrease In Litigation And Legal Expenses

Challenge: Reduce Employment Litigation and Legal Expenses.

A publicly-traded manufacturing and service company was suffering repercussions from its history of employment-related claims made through civil litigation and state and federal agencies. Legal expenses were high – regardless of whether cases had merit, the Company needed to defend itself. Executives and Human Resource personnel were distracted from the business by these cases. Although cases were highly confidential, some employees involved in claims discussed them with co-workers. This sometimes led to an employee grapevine that characterized the Company in a negative light. The Company was concerned that knowledge of its past monetary settlements with employees or former employees may encourage others to take action against the Company, in the hopes of a financial windfall.

Solution: Implement Policies that Reflect Culture.

Heather Edelman worked with the Company to implement employee relations policies and practices that reflected the Company’s values of respect, trust and integrity. While most policies allowed for some flexibility, policies were applied consistently across the Company. Human Resource personnel became proactive, working with managers and employees to anticipate problems and address them before they escalated. When employees raised concerns, managers and Human Resource staff were responsive. Consistent methods of conflict resolution and documentation were implemented. Solutions focused on balancing the needs of the business with the needs of employees. An employee communication strategy was developed to ensure employees were kept informed about the business and to regularly solicit their feedback on the “health” of the organization.

Result: Dramatic Reduction in Litigation Expense

The Company achieved a 50% reduction in legal expenses, employment-related claims and litigation. The disposition of all cases was favorable to the Company.