The past few years have been tumultuous, and many challenges continue, but the U.S. economy now appears to be robust. Pennsylvania companies have been hiring steadily for months, and preparing for further growth.
All this action is exciting for workers and employers alike, but it also comes with risk. For employers, each new hire brings the promise of new ideas and new productivity. It also brings the potential for problems. Any legal dispute with an employee can be costly to a company, both in terms of its reputation and its bottom line. For smaller companies, an employment law dispute can make the difference between a good quarter and a bad one.
Defending against employment law claims
It can be quite expensive to deal with employment law claims. Even in a case where the employee’s claim is defeated on summary judgment, the employer may end up paying $125,000 or more. If the case goes to trial, the court fees and legal costs can easily reach twice that amount.
To avoid these costs, many companies simply pay a settlement to the claimant. This may be less expensive than further litigation, but it isn’t cheap.
Preventing problems
The best way to handle any legal dispute is to, whenever possible, prevent it from happening in the first place. When employers invest in some preventative measures beforehand, they can save themselves a lot of trouble and expense later on.
In the employment law context, this can mean seeking out legal help for matters such as:
- Drafting employee handbooks
- Developing policies and procedures
- Training to prevent sexual harassment, discrimination and other potential problems
- Drafting employee contracts
- Drafting noncompete agreements
- Hiring and termination
- Compliance with job classification and other legal requirements
- Addressing disputes over wages and hours
Business leaders can speak to experienced business and employment law attorneys to learn about their options for protecting their business.