Kendr is promoting a service that is going to give human resources managers a key tool in handling the grievances and complaints that often trigger legal liability for employers.

It sounds simple: you push a button and are immediately routed to human resources people to file a workplace complaint. But to co-founder Beth Schroeder, who has been an employment lawyer for 32 years, the Kendr tool fills an important role.

Schroeder explained to HRDailyWire on Jan. 30 that allowing employees to report complaints anonymously and to use an easy interface to contact HR leads to more assertiveness, as those who otherwise wouldn't know what to do can take action quickly and confidently. 

She talked about instances she has seen in defense cases, where employees didn't use existing anonymous resources like hotlines. Also, she said, there are those who just don't feel empowered to speak up.

"There are people who don't come forward," she said. "They're afraid."

Kendr, Schroeder said, enables HR to gain better access to how workers may be feeling about their jobs, and it gives workers more agency and power to report problems.

"(Employees) can reach out when they're scared," Schroeder said.

But, she added, the system is also abundantly good for employers.

"This is part and parcel of what employers need to be thinking about," she said, citing a spate of sexual harassment claims in media and other fields, and a tremendous demand for legal and HR services to help firms avoid liability.

Schroeder said Kendr's text interface design is a deliberate way to streamline communication between employees and their workers.

"People don't want to talk anymore -- they want to text," Schroeder said, "and the kids never lose their phones."

Schroeder believes tools like this will become part of a "gold standard" for employers who want to make sure they're doing all they can to address sexual harassment and other legal liabilities that could otherwise catch them off guard.

"The old way hasn't been good enough," Schroeder said.