You have a people problem. It's getting complicated. Let's figure it out.

Most workplace problems don't arrive neatly labeled.

An employee makes a complaint, but there's also a performance issue. A manager wants to terminate someone, but nobody has documented anything. HR and leadership see the situation differently. An investigation uncovers something nobody expected. Or something serious happens and suddenly there are six people involved and nobody is quite sure who's managing the response.

That's the kind of work I like.

Tell me what's happening. We'll figure out what you actually know, what you still need to know, what matters most, and what your options are.

Things you might call me about

• An employee complaint you're not sure how to handle

• A performance or disciplinary situation that's gotten messy

• A manager who may be part of the problem

• A workplace investigation

• A difficult termination or other significant employment decision

• An accommodation or leave situation

• A recurring employee-relations problem you can't seem to solve

• HR practices or processes that aren't working

• A situation where HR, leadership, and legal aren't seeing things the same way

• A serious workplace event with multiple people, risks, or workstreams involved

• A situation where you're simply too close to the problem and want an experienced outside perspective

Sometimes you need help with one decision. Sometimes you need someone to stay involved while the situation develops. We can structure the engagement accordingly.

I'm going to ask questions.

Probably a lot of them.

What happened? What does the employee say happened? What does the manager say? What happened before this? What documentation exists? What was supposed to happen? Did it actually happen? Have we handled similar situations differently? Is the manager contributing to the problem? What don't we know yet?

I'm not interested in manufacturing documentation to support a decision that's already been made.

I'm interested in helping you make a good decision.

People-focused doesn't mean avoiding hard decisions.

I believe employees should be treated like human beings. I also believe managers should be accountable for how they lead.

That doesn't mean every employment relationship can—or should—be saved.

Sometimes the appropriate answer is discipline. Sometimes it's changing a process. Sometimes it's coaching the manager. Sometimes it's acknowledging that the organization got something wrong. And sometimes it's ending the employment relationship.

The point is to understand the situation before deciding what the answer should be.

If you're looking for someone to tell you the quickest way to get rid of an employee with the least possible risk, I'm probably not the right consultant for you.

If you want to understand what's happening, make a thoughtful and defensible decision, and treat the people involved fairly while protecting the organization, we'll probably work very well together.

When something bigger happens

Sometimes a workplace issue becomes a much larger organizational problem.

A serious allegation. An incident involving a senior leader. A significant claim. An unexpected event. A government inquiry. An investigation that's expanding quickly.

I can help bring structure to the organization's internal response: identifying immediate priorities, organizing information, coordinating stakeholders, tracking decisions and responsibilities, and helping leadership determine what needs to happen now and what can wait.

That doesn't mean I do everything.

Doing the job correctly may mean bringing in outside counsel, an independent investigator, an insurance professional, a PR or crisis-communications firm, a security professional, a forensic specialist, or another subject-matter expert.

Getting me involved means you're interested in doing this right, not simply making it go away.

I don't provide PR, media strategy, physical emergency response, security services, or technical forensic services. I'm not a fixer. When another professional belongs at the table, I'll tell you.

How we can work together

Some clients need help with a single situation. Others want an experienced outside advisor they can call before a workplace problem becomes a bigger one.

Engagements can be structured around a specific project or situation, hourly consultation, or an ongoing advisory relationship.

A note about my role

I am a licensed attorney, and my legal experience absolutely informs the questions I ask and the way I think about risk.

But I am not automatically your lawyer.

Unless we enter into a separate written engagement specifically for legal services, I am working with you as a consultant, not serving as your attorney.