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Putting Humanity Into HR Compliance: Down With Documentation

Putting Humanity Into HR Compliance: Down With Documentation
by Jathan Janove, J.D.

Former employment attorney and author Jathan Janove writes each week on how to inject greater humanity into HR compliance. Jathan welcomes your questions and suggestions for future columns. Contact him at the e-mail address at the end of this column.

I have a modest proposal: Ban the word "documentation."

The word is cold, lifeless and dehumanizing. Instead of encouraging growth, trust and engagement in employees who need to adjust their behavior or performance, it causes stagnation, fear and withdrawal.

In my prior career as a labor and employment attorney, it never ceased to amaze me how poorly managers document important matters. Their "documentation" more often helped plaintiffs' attorneys than it did their employers.

Does this mean never put anything in writing? No.

It means shifting your paradigm from documenting to "cover yourself" to using written expression to promote clarity and understanding.

Over the years, I've shared with clients a communication tool I call the "Same Day Summary" (SDS).

An SDS is a written confirmation composed and sent shortly after a meeting or discussion. It follows these simple rules:  

• It's short and to the point. It lists the key takeaways.
• It lists the key takeaways, which include: (a) commitments made—who will do what by when; (b) critical facts or understandings where divergent memories or interpretations could be problematic; and (c) recognition of positive or constructive behavior.
• It's written as soon as possible after the real-time conversation, typically well within a day.
• The recipient is invited to add anything he or she thinks was omitted or to correct any perceived misstatements.

• Because they're written while the conversation is fresh in mind, they're usually accurate.
• Because they are limited to summarizing only the key takeaways, SDSs take minutes to write.
• If sent promptly with language such as "Let me know if I missed or misstated anything," they're user-friendly for recipients. Recipients don't need to reply unless they think the writer missed something significant.
• E-mail is a handy SDS vehicle. In addition to being quick and efficient, e-mail makes it easy to store SDSs electronically. After hitting "Send", click and drag the SDS into a labeled folder. This makes subsequent retrieval quick and easy.
• In a non-judgmental, non-authoritarian way, the SDS aligns writer and recipient. It provides a checklist they can use to hold themselves and each other accountable.

Read full article on SHRM.