A modern HR department is more of a strategic key player that ensures the overall health of an organization. When workers find themselves in personal crises, the workplace itself could either become a stabilizing force that helps them stay connected to reality or just another source of stress.
For HR professionals to display their level of care and protect the work culture and the company’s productivity, the critical thing is to have ready access to options related to their area of expertise. Here are some resources that can take the concept of proactive employee support to a new level making it possible for HR to play their part in creating a resilient and productive workplace.
Specialized Legal Support Services for Sensitive Personal Crises
Legal emergencies are among the issues that can cause the most workplace disruption for the affected employee. These issues influence the overall performance, attendance, and mental satisfaction of workers. Professionals in the human resources department must have close ties with lawyers who deal with personal matters, apart from business issues. Notably, this creates a huge difference, as the affected workers require timely advice on their rights and employment status.
The Need for Specialized Support
Specialized legal support is vital considering how quickly personal legal issues can affect professional life. If an employee is charged with a serious crime, bail conditions could interfere with their ability to travel for work. When charged with domestic violence, they may require immediate protection orders that alter how safety issues would be handled in the workplace.
If your employee has been wrongly accused of something, they would require immediate advice before giving statements to law enforcement and internal investigators. In all instances, things get better when the right advice is obtained in time.
How HR Teams Should Proceed?
The HR department should create a personal directory of legal professionals sorted by categories, such as criminal defense, family law, immigration law, and victim representation. The HR department should identify professionals who understand how personal legal matters sometimes have the potential to bleed into work. For example, when selecting a criminal defense attorney, they should identify those with experience in how criminal charges might impact employment.
The directory should also list lawyers who handle extremely sensitive cases where the consequences extend well beyond a victory in court. Consider how complicated sexual assault cases can become, as the accused party faces criminal charges and also suffers reputation damage and strained social interactions. Here specialized lawyers are required.
For instance, consider the expertise a Liberty Law sexual assault lawyer brings to the table. The firm represents a level of specialized representation in the field of sexual assault cases that HR directors can target when building their resource network. While this firm operates in Canada, its level of expertise sets the standard for the resources HR requires.
US-based HR directors can consider this firm a resource for their own evaluation of attorneys who specialize in sexual assault cases but also understand constitutional rights, evidentiary restrictions, and the profound life consequences these charges carry.
When to Use Specialized Legal Support
Maintaining these legal connections involves periodic reviews of qualifications, fee arrangements, and areas of specialization. The HR department can establish formal arrangements to ensure priority support in an emergency and perhaps negotiate lower consultation rates as part of an EAP benefit.
It should be shared confidentially, perhaps through an encrypted member site, often featuring simple access pointers to seek legal counsel immediately. Expert legal aid becomes critical when:
- Employees are charged with crimes and must deal with police interviews without incriminating themselves
- Victims are in need of protection orders that involve work-related logistics
- Employees are subpoenaed as witnesses in sensitive matters
- Individuals are accused of charges likely to result in professional discipline or loss of license
By providing easy access to expert advice, HR can help employees avoid making major blunders in times when they may be under stress. This also reflects the organization’s adherence to the principle of due process and fair treatment.
24/7 Mental Health Crisis Intervention
In matters concerning mental health crises, workers require immediate professional assistance. However, most HR departments operate on regular working hours. As a result, affected employees can’t find assistance in case of an emergency on weekends, holidays, or late nights.
A 24/7 crisis intervention resource is vital because mental health emergencies are extremely time-sensitive. If an employee reaches a breaking point, the consequences of delay may include emergency-room visits, harming oneself, or tragic consequences that can disrupt families, as well as the entire workplace.
Having a 24/7 crisis hotline in HR is a great idea, as it demonstrates that the well-being of employees is more important than organizational convenience. To make it work effectively, HR would need to contract mental health crisis services providers who employ licensed mental health professionals skilled in emergency assessment and intervention. These services are more complex than the typical employee assistance programs because they offer the following:
- Immediate phone or video counseling services
- Mobile crisis teams are available to visit homes or places of business
- Direct coordination with emergency services
It’s vital for HR to share information regarding these services at the top of employee cards, on websites, or on break room posters, with encouraging statements regarding matters related to privacy and immediate assistance that doesn’t require any managerial notification.
Emergency Financial Assistance Programs
Financial disaster is one of the more common hidden crises at work. Productivity, attendance, and mental health could all suffer. Medical expenses, domestic violence escape costs, natural disasters, and family emergencies could put a worker off track in a matter of days and force them to decide between basic needs and workplace performance. A human resources team providing emergency financial services can be a lifesaver and help protect the company’s investment in its talent.
Good financial assistance should be a combination of short-term relief and long-term financial sustainability. HR departments should partner with non-profit financial assistance agencies that provide short-term grants and loans and debt management plans. Program structure also makes a difference here. The most successful programs always consist of:
- Emergency relief funds are supported by the employers that offer financial aid in qualifying emergencies
- Partnerships with credit unions for fast approval microloans
- Connections with community foundations that provide for specific needs, such as house deposits, utility, or medical payments
- Some other scenarios where immediate financial assistance is a huge help for:
- Employees requiring immediate financing for a safe place to live from a physically/mentally abusive situation
- Employees with utility shut-offs resulting in a loss of remote work environment
- Employees requiring emergency travel for a family medical issue
- Individuals who can’t afford their vital meds or mental health co-pays
Addressing these fundamental survival issues, HR can help individuals get their own “stuff” in order and return focus to professional responsibilities.
Endnote
Having HR departments with these key support resources on hand makes it easier to turn reactive damage control into proactive employee protection. The benefit of having more effective ways to deal with each crisis not only enhances reputation but aids with recruitment competitiveness and long-term employee loyalty.
The catch is to ensure that struggling employees are connected to qualified, specialized support as quickly as possible. That’s exactly what separates exceptional employers from excelling organizations from those who stick to standard benefit packages and often fail in the long run.
