151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People

21Know When to Consult a Lawyer or Other Experts

Kevin, an office manager, was fed up with employees who quit without giving notice.

One woman called in her resignation two hours before she was supposed to report to work. He was so enraged that he crafted a policy to punish such irresponsible workers. Those workers would forfeit their final paycheck if they quit without giving a proper notice. But before adopting the policy he wrote me to ask if it was legal. Unfortunately, for him, it wasn’t. Polices drafted out of anger usually are flawed. Kevin’s proposal would violate labor laws. Hourly employees, which the woman was, have to be paid for all the time they work.

I suggested instead that he tie vacation eligibility to giving notice. Departing ...