PROPRIETARY FRAMEWORK

The People Problem
TRIAGE Framework™

Six structured steps for California small business owners, nonprofit leaders, and HR professional navigating real people situations; with compliance and culture as twin guardrails.

BERNADETTE JONES, SHRM-SCP, CEO

WHAT IS TRIAGE

A people problem isn’t a single event.
It’s a pattern you can interrupt.

Most leaders arrive at a crisis because somewhere upstream, a small issue was avoided, a conversation was skipped, or a process wasn’t followed.  By the time someone’s filing a complaint or leaving quietly, the easy fix is gone.

The TRIAGE Framework™ is the structured process used in every Visionova People Problem Triage Discovery Call.  It gives you a clear path from “I have no idea what to do here” to “I have one concrete, defensible next step.”

It protects two things at once: employees’ right and your organization’s future. That’s not a compromise. That’s the only version that actually works.

Compliance + Culture
Every step flags legal exposure AND human impact – because both matter for a defensible outcome.

Compliance + Culture
Every step flags legal exposure AND human impact – because both matter for a defensible outcome.

Compliance + Culture
Every step flags legal exposure AND human impact – because both matter for a defensible outcome.

THE SIX STEPS

TRIAGE: From chaos to one clear next move.

Each step has a core question and a named tool, so every call produces something concrete, not just a conversation.

T

STEP 1

Triage the Situation

“Who is involved, what has happened so far, and what’s truly at stake for your people and your organization?”

Tool: Situation Snapshot (one-page intake)

R

STEP 2

Read the Risk

“Where does California employment law—wage and hour, discrimination, leave, retaliation, SB 294—show up in this situation?”

Tool: CA Compliance Quick-Scan (10-question checklist)

I

STEP 3

Identify the Real Problem

“Is this a performance issue, a conduct issue, a culture issue, or a compliance issue — and are those overlapping?”

Tool: Problem Type Matrix (urgency + complexity)

A

STEP 4

Assess What You Have

“What’s written down — policies, prior conversations, performance records — and does it tell a defensible story?”

Tool: Documentation Audit Checklist

G

STEP 5

Get to One Concrete Move

“What do you say — and what do you not say — in your next conversation, and what do you document this week?”

Tool: Next 7 Days Action Map (3 decisive paths)

E

STEP 6

Establish the Forward Pattern

“What early-warning signal was missed, and what one standard can you install so this pattern doesn’t repeat?”

Tool: Forward Pattern Commitment Card

QUICK REFERENCE

TRIAGE at a glance.

LETTER STEP NAME CORE QUESTION DELIVERABLE TOOL
T Triage the Situation What actually happened, who’s involved, what’s at stake? Situation Snapshot
R Read the Risk Where does CA employment law apply here? CA Compliance Quick-Scan
I Identify the Real Problem What type of problem is this – really? Problem Type Matrix
A Assess What You Have What’s documented, what’s missing, what does it say? Documentation Audit Checklist
G Get to One Concrete Move What do I do this week – specifically? Next 7 Days Action Map
E Establish the Forward Pattern How do I prevent this from recurring? Forward Pattern Commitment Card

WHO IS THIS FOR

Three leaders. One framework.

CA Small Business Owner

You became HR by default. You have 5–100 employees, no HR department, and right now you’re sitting on one situation you’re afraid to mishandle.

Nonprofit Executive Director

You’re balancing staff needs, board expectations, funder trust, and laws like SB 294 and there’s a people situation in the background of all of it.

HR Department of One

You serve 50–150 employees and you’re everyone’s last stop. You need a non-judgmental sounding board for a tricky situation—not a lecture.

FREE 20-MINUTE “PEOPLE PROBLEM TRIAGE” CALL

If one situation is hijacking your week, let’s triage it.

If you can name one people issue that’s taking more than 20 minutes of your week in worry, meetings, and second-guessing; that’s a good sign it’s worth a 20-minute triage. You leave with a micro-plan, not a proposal.