.png)
Ground Rules: Employment Law Over Your Coffee Break
Hosted by seasoned attorney Pam Howland, alongside attorneys Jennifer Walrath and Doug Plass, Ground Rules delivers employment law insights in bite-sized weekly episodes. With decades of courtroom experience, this dynamic trio has seen the costly consequences of legal missteps for employers—and they're here to help you avoid them.
Perfect for business owners, HR professionals, and supervisors, this podcast is your go-to guide for staying ahead of the curve on employment law, fostering compliant workplaces, and keeping your business out of the courthouse. Grab your coffee, tune in, and gain practical tips to protect and empower your team.
Ground Rules: Employment Law Over Your Coffee Break
Documentation Isn’t Optional: Protecting Your Business Before It’s Too Late
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this week's Ground Rules episode, we continue our Law for Leaders Book Club with Chapter Three: Why You Need to Document and What Your Documentation Needs to Say.
Here's what we cover:
- Why a lack of documentation leaves a void, and how that void gets filled by whatever the employee imagines the reason to be
- Why "we're an at-will state" doesn't protect you if a claim is filed. You still have to show a legitimate, lawful reason
- Why juries don't trust employer testimony, and why contemporaneous documentation is always more credible
- What good documentation actually looks like: specific, candid, dated, with real examples. Handwritten notes and voice memos count
- What never to include: protected class information like disability, age, race, religion, or FMLA leave
- The annual review trap, and how a sugar-coated review can destroy a termination defense
One of the biggest practical takeaways from this chapter:
If your leaders aren't comfortable giving honest feedback, they may be handing your next claimant their case. Documentation isn't just an HR task. It's a leadership skill, and one that needs to be practiced consistently, not just at termination.
*Ground Rules hosts and guests are not providing legal advice in this podcast. Do not act upon any of the information discussed in this podcast without first consulting a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.*
📖 Available now on Amazon! Law for Leaders: The Roadmap Every Leader Needs to Know to Avoid Workplace Claims and Lawsuits
Written for busy leaders who need straightforward answers, this guide cuts through legal complexity to deliver fundamental knowledge that can help protect your business. Don't risk a preventable lawsuit - arm yourself with the practical wisdom that only comes from decades of courtroom experience. Purchase your copy here!
Don't miss out!
🔗 Connect with us on LinkedIn
📧 Sign up for our email blast
📚 Learn more about our Law for Leaders Training Program
👥 Learn more about your Hosts and Idaho Employment Lawyers