Page 20 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

companies, 16 percent against executives of privately held companies, and
1 percent against executives of not-for-profit companies in the United States. 2

Add to these trends a responsive trend among directors’ and officers’ liability insurance
providers to put forth exclusions in company policies for sexual harassment claims, fraud
litigation, dishonesty, and other sources of cost that are considered entirely preventable. The
clear message even from liability coverage firms to all types of workplaces is “Really? You
were stupid enough to allow that to happen? Don’t look at us to help you with this one!”
You don’t want your company to be the next Enron. There is no room or reason for
costly, preventable errors. Compliance violations, safety violations, harassment and discrim-
ination lawsuits, fraudulent activity, false claims cases, accounting scandals, and financial
mismanagement are all extremely costly, but most importantly, they are also all preventa-
ble. Well-informed HR professionals who position themselves as credible activists and find
the courage to professionally and graciously address serious workplace problems are ahead
of the competition in every way.

BASIC HR CONCEPTS

A surprising number of HR professionals and managers don’t have the necessary skills to
write an effective memo to the appropriate person in the workplace in order to have a seri-
ous issue addressed or resolved well. Many also don’t have sufficient interpersonal skills to
handle conflict, recognize significant diversity issues, or address problematic gaps between
policy and practice. Even higher-level managers often lack these skills because they are defi-
cient in technical HR compliance knowledge.
However, most HR professionals know when they find themselves in the midst of a
seemingly impossible situation and/or are put in the position of violating professional ethics
codes.
Most HR professionals put in a position like the one described wish they could have
done something about these situations to either help themselves or help someone who was
treated unfairly, unethically, or unlawfully. However, most HR professionals and managers
do not have the skills, knowledge, or abilities to know how to effectively address situa-
tions in which they must educate and disagree with those above them. Countless HR pro-
fessionals are regularly ignored, excluded from decision-making processes, dismissed as
fluff peddlers, and not listened to when their expertise could prevent costly lawsuits and
scandals.
As mentioned in the Introduction, SHRM encourages HR/OD professionals to be credi-
ble activists in their workplaces and agents of ethical strategic change while remaining allied
with corporate business interests. A new reality includes HR and OD professionals as cred-
ible activists. Additionally, many HR professionals are unaware that when they advocate for
certain Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
rights of others in the workplace, they become protected from retaliation as well. This is a
key ingredient in many of the relevant memos, which serves as a protective factor for HR
professionals using these memos to improve their workplaces and thus their work and per-
sonal lives.

CHAPTER 1 • W hy Credible Activism? 3