Managing HR Risk with Four Questions

When I’m presented with an employment situation which could result in some sort of change in an employee’s status with the company, such as a disciplinary action or a performance plan, there are four questions that I always ask in order to assess the risk.

1. Why?
2. Why this employee?
3. Why now?
4. Can I prove it? (where’s the documentation)

Can you honestly answer the first three questions in front of a judge (worst case future scenario) without breaking out in a cold sweat? If not, then the fourth question doesn’t really matter.

If you can, what evidence do you have to justify and support your answers to the first three questions? If you don’t have the proof, your answers to the first three questions might not carry much weight.

If you can move through all four questions with confidence, then you’re probably in pretty good shape.