​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​THE BOURNE FIRM

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Experienced on-demand general counsel for small to mid-sized companies not yet ready for full-time general counsel. 

• Adopt simple rules about the workplace. Simple rules help employees understand expectations and deter claims.
• Enforce them consistently. Inconsistent enforcement fosters distrust and suspicion of discrimination and increases the likelihood of claims.
• Provide performance reviews.  Performance reviews allow employees to understand how rules specifically apply to them and to comprehend that adverse employment action results not from discrimination, but from performance.
• Allow performance improvement. An employee without an opportunity to improve is more likely to presume discrimination and file a claim. Fair is fair.
• Document non-discriminatory reasons for employment action.  If an employee files a claim, be prepared to conclusively counteract it with thorough documentation of uncorrected performance problems clearly communicated and coupled with an opportunity to improve.