putting the law to work
Rather than the full-day comprehensive version of “Putting the Law to Work,” employers sometimes need intensive and focused training on one or more of the individual topics covered in the course. This is why we offer all “Putting the Law to Work” topics as individual in-depth modules, giving each employer the opportunity to choose the subject areas that are most relevant to its workforce. Half-day sessions are available for each of the following “Putting the Law to Work” subjects.
module 1
Mastering the Basics: Equal Employment Opportunity Fundamentals
This course reviews three crucial areas of employment law that managers grapple with daily: discrimination, leaves of absence under the FMLA, and reasonable accommodation under the ADA. Our lively “Avoiding Jeopardy” exercise reviews the full range of employment law protections, and the remainder of the session teaches participants how to apply these protections on the job. Using real-world case studies and interactive exercises, the course gives managers and supervisors the practical tools they need to avoid legal pitfalls and apply these laws consistently and fairly.
module 2
Risky Business: Preventing Harassment
Workplace harassment takes many forms, including sexual and racial harassment, and it can be extremely tricky to determine which behaviors constitute harassment and which do not. Deciding how to respond appropriately to complaints of harassment can be just as tricky. This course shines light on the many gray areas of harassment and provides concrete suggestions for handling risky workplace situations.
module 3
Working Together: Reasonable Accommodation
ADA and several state laws require employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees’ disabilities. Employers are also required to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious observances. Unfortunately, managers and supervisors often have a hard time figuring out when an accommodation is called for, much less what “reasonable” means. This course is intended as a hands-on primer to help give managers and supervisors concrete tools for figuring out when accommodation is necessary and what exactly they must do to meet the legal requirements.
module 4
Untangle the Web: Understanding Leave Laws
Managers and supervisors can easily get tangled up as they try to comply with the web of state and federal laws that govern employee leaves of absence. Most states have their own distinct set of entitlements, which overlap federal family and disability leave laws. In addition, businesses often have their own leave-related policies that may further complicate the situation. “Untangle the Web” gives participants a grasp of the various leave laws by which they must abide, along with hands-on tools for complying with federal and state leave laws and for efficiently managing the process. This learning is reinforced by a series of case studies that reflect some typical employee leave situations—as well as a couple of unusual ones—to provide participants with a solid understanding they can take back to the workplace.
module 5
Hiring Smart: Legal and Effective Interviewing
Anyone responsible for hiring decisions faces a dual challenge: finding the best person for the job and doing so without running afoul of discrimination law. This is especially true when interviewing potential employees. Which questions can you ask? Which questions can you not ask? This course builds essential interviewing skills so that employees involved in hiring can conduct interviews that are effective in meeting corporate human resource needs without creating legal risks. It provides detailed guidance on the types of questions an interviewer may and may not ask, as well as common-sense strategies for conducting interviews that identify the most qualified candidate for the job. Just as important, it reviews best practices for documenting hiring decisions to avoid future legal challenges.
module 6
Getting It Right: Performance Management Documentation
When employee performance is unsatisfactory—despite verbal coaching—managers need to address it appropriately and clearly. If implemented effectively, the performance management process can improve employee behavior. If the employee continues to underperform, the process can provide a fair and legal basis for discipline or termination. However, managers don’t always provide consistent and timely performance management, which all too often results in a discrimination or harassment lawsuit when an employee is disciplined or terminated. This course maps out straightforward steps to guide performance management and also takes a close look at how to properly document the process to defend against possible litigation.
module 7
Good Work: Verbal Coaching Skills
Verbal coaching is the most cost-effective tool a manager can use to encourage employee development. When done well, coaching can improve your business’s bottom line by increasing employee morale, productivity, and job satisfaction. For some managers, coaching skills seem to come naturally, but most managers need to learn the specific techniques involved. This course breaks down the process into five steps and uses interactive role plays to reinforce coaching skills and concepts.
module 8
Keeping Time: Wage and Hour Compliance
Lawsuits alleging failure to comply with wage and hour laws have been on the upsurge, with multimillion-dollar settlements and judgments awarded to employees in industries as varied as financial services, retail, restaurants, insurance, and funeral homes. “Keeping Time” will keep you ahead of this litigation tidal wave by reviewing the essential requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal wage and hour law, and relevant state laws. It illuminates these technical legal concepts with real-world examples and provides a practical understanding for the often confusing tests to determine which employees qualify for white-collar exemptions.
module 9
Walking the Line: Managing Whistleblowers and Avoiding Retaliation
When an employee files a complaint—whether it’s a whistleblower alleging companywide fraud or someone who feels sexually harassed by a coworker—the workplace can suddenly become charged with negative rumors and anxiety, which can escalate into claims of unfair retaliation against the complainant. Managers in these situations need to “walk the line” between appropriately responding to legitimate employee complaints and effectively continuing to manage both the complaining employee and other workers. “Walking the Line” covers managers’ legal obligations to avoid both the perception and the reality of retaliation, as well as the legal definitions of whistleblowing and retaliation. More importantly, it focuses on skill building so that managers will be prepared to identify the red flags for potential whistleblower retaliation claims and will know how to effectively handle these situations to avoid the risk of retaliation lawsuits.
module 10
Keeping Cool: Preventing Workplace Violence
Every day, headlines remind us of the danger of workplace violence. More than two million assaults occur in the workplace in the United States every year. As a result, employers are making their obligation to protect the lives, health, and safety of their employees an essential priority. “Keeping Cool” teaches managers what they must do to comply with these legal obligations. And it gives clear guidelines for recognizing and responding to the many forms of workplace violence, including threats, acts of intimidation, harassment, and verbal and physical attacks.