Running a business has a massive amount of responsibility associated with it. Stressful is one way to put it while being exciting when things are going well. There could be unexpected speed bumps along the way that have nothing to do with your employees or business model. This could be a top employee or someone that needs to hit a deadline being arrested. The arrest could be minor or major but it is inconvenient nonetheless. You need to have policies about arrests so you have a playbook of what to do. You do not want an employee being arrested multiple times and potentially damaging the image of the company. The following are tips to help manage the arrests of your employees.
Termination For Certain Offenses
There are going to be arrests that are far more serious than others with varying consequences. Your employee might not be able to get out of jail for a violent offense like aggravated assault which can carry a large amount of money to be bonded out. Violent offenses or those that are sexual in nature cannot be tolerated but it is important to let the trial play out. Do not allow the employee back in the office until the trial is over. The accusations could be false but that is for the jury to decide.
Recommend a Lawyer
Recommending a lawyer can be immensely important as public defenders are usually buried with a large volume of cases. Experienced drug arrest lawyers can recommend a diversion program that might include substance abuse counseling. The last thing that you want is your employee to go to jail when they could have been given probation due to having used a public defender. They might not be able to afford the lawyer but a recommendation is still important.
Allow a Bit of Remote Work
Remote work in today’s world is more common than ever before. Large companies around the world have actually made the decision to allow employees to work remotely. Some of these are on a permanent basis while others will go back to the office after COVID-19 has subsided. This can allow the company to stay as productive as a normal day instead of the employee asking for the day off. This can help build employee loyalty as well as the company being understanding in their time of need. Some jobs cannot be done remotely so giving a half-day if they come in early the rest of the week can suffice.
Require Anger Management or Substance Abuse Program Completion
The arrest could indicate that a person has anger or substance abuse issues. Requiring the employee to go through some sort of program is wise as they likely will have to do something like this if they are convicted of their crime. This can also show a judge and prosecutor that efforts have been made to change their behavior. The employee will likely do this happily if it means that they get to keep their job.
Managing arrests of employees can be extremely difficult but it is something you will encounter when running a business.