Employee Relations Telephone Seminars

Is Lookism Illegal? Appearance Discrimination at Work BenefitsMore and more frequently, the argument is made that there should be a law against 'lookism,' or appearance discrimination, in the workplace. This live audio conference will explore whether appearance discrimination is a significant problem, which laws already address it, and how a law might be written to outlaw it specifically. This program will better equip managers and human resources  more...

Implications of Medical Marijuana in the Workplace BenefitsAn applicant takes a pre-employment drug screen and tests positive for marijuana but tells you that he is a registered user of medical marijuana to treat his medical condition. Can you refuse to hire him? An employee tells you that he needs to take a daily break in order to consume medical marijuana to treat his cancer. Do you have to accommodate this request? How is this request different  more...

Offboarding: Strategies for a Successful Goodbye BenefitsThis live audio conference will review research showing the value of effective offboarding: higher levels of employee commitment, lower recruitment costs, and higher quality candidates. As with all employment actions, it should be lawful, safe, secure, efficient, ethical, fair and respectful. Effective HR leaders must work both sides of the basic accounting equation: assets = liabilities +  more...

Creating Successful Employee Surveys ...and; identify employment practices problem areas; improve employee relations, morale and teamwork; enhance employee commitment and engagement; and assess the implementation and effectiveness of HR management systems and processes. In today's economy and workplace, this however is just the starting point. Identifying the drivers of employee engagement and commitment and helping your organization  more...

Giving and Receiving Employment References: Successfully Negotiating the Maze BenefitsMany employers still do not put the necessary amount of thought into requests for references - whether they are on the requesting or responding end. Responding to such requests can be fraught with potential pitfalls and could expose an employer to legal liability from both ends (i.e., from the current/former employee and from the requesting entity). On the other hand, given these issues,  more...

Dealing With Employees Who Have Been Charged With a Crime BenefitsOne of the most perplexing problems that can confront an employer arises after the employer discovers that one of its employees has been arrested and charged with a crime. Under our legal system, the familiar mantra is that an arrested person is innocent until proven guilty. So, what can you do to address situations where an employee has been arrested, or has been charged, or incarcerated  more...

Implementing Stay Interviews: If You Want to Keep Them You Have to Talk to Them! BenefitsCompanies work very hard to obtain talent with a very high price tag per hire. When they achieve proficiency in what is expected, they become a valuable contributor and an asset to the firm. The last thing you want to happen is to lose these employees because of situations that are within your ability to control. By attending this teleconference you will learn tools, tactics and  more...

Strategies to Utilize Web 2.0 BenefitsIn an era where Web 2.0 is revolutionizing the social dynamics of our society, the HR professional must respond to the changes this new technology is bringing to the workplace. This teleconference will present a practical framework for understanding Web 2.0 and provide insight into a number of best practices that explore a variety of strategies for leveraging the power of this technology  more...

Implementing Employee Threat Assessments: Are Your Employees Ticking Time Bombs? BenefitsEmployers are confronted more often with dangerous employees. This teleconference will address practical human resource issues including how not to hire dangerous employees, strategic discipline, strategic terminations and high risk terminations. It will also discuss some practical tools employers have at their disposal to deal with difficult employees, along with a discussion of real life  more...

EEO-1 Form: Reporting for 2010 BenefitsIn this interactive teleconference, you will learn the EEO-1 reporting requirements as well as practical, easy to use approaches to completing and submitting the EEO-1 report by the filing deadline. This engaging teleconference will also explain the EEOC's and OFCCP's systemic discrimination enforcement initiatives. From understanding the EEOC's and OFCCP's new focus on these issues to  more...

Techniques to Prepare for Difficult Employee Discussions ... you're encountering commonplace or exceptionally serious employee relations issues, you'll need a down-to-earth strategy to protect yourself and your organization. Verbally addressing problems head-on can be a daunting task because of their confrontational nature, not to mention the record that you're creating, which can land your company in legal hot water. Well, fear not - Join us for this  more...

Overcoming Employee Absenteeism and Tardiness BenefitsManaging absenteeism and tardiness can be a sticky issue - it is rarely a black and white issue. There are mandatory leave laws that have to be incorporated into your leave policies and some of those can create restrictions on how to administer your leave policies. There are also some restrictions on disciplining employees when they appear to abuse policies. This teleconference will help  more...

Lawful Hiring BenefitsEmployers must navigate a minefield of complicated and, in some cases, conflicting laws that affect the hiring process Discrimination claims often arise out of the hiring process. The new U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ricci v. DeStefano, 557 U.S. ___ (2009) shows how an employer (the New Haven Fire Department in that case) can violate discrimination laws when taking steps to attempt to  more...

Employee Engagement in Troubled Times BenefitsEngaging and retaining valued employees is particularly critical amid periods of economic uncertainty if organizations are to maintain product and service quality, and lay a foundation for future growth. Yet while challenging economic environments make employee motivation more critical, they also make employee engagement more difficult to achieve. Belt tightening often results in  more...

Properly Handling Employee Complaints of Discrimination BenefitsThe existence of effectively enforced rules, the fair and thorough investigation of complaints and misconduct, and an understanding of the legal process relating to claims are critical to enabling a company to limit potential charges and lawsuits asserting discrimination. This teleconference will afford practical guidance in analyzing and responding to charges effectively and lawfully.  more...

Avoiding Costly Mistakes In Harassment Policies and Investigations BenefitsSexual and other forms of harassment remain a significant problem for employers. Courts and legislatures continue to create new obligations for employers and continue to increase the potential for liability for employers. Many employers continue to have policies and procedures for harassment that are outdated or that actually create potential liability. This teleconference will help you  more...

The New World of EEO: What Is Coming BenefitsEEO claims with the EEOC and in state and federal court are significantly on the rise. While this increase has been impacted by the significant reductions in force around the country, this has also been driven by the fact that the plaintiff's employment bar, the U.S. Attorney's offices and the EEOC have become more aggressive in pursuing claims of discrimination against employers. The  more...

Implementing a Health Risk Assessment for Your Health Plan: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Legal BenefitsMaybe you've heard about health risk assessments and wonder if they're a good idea for your organization. Or you've been tasked with implementing a health risk assessment as part of your health plan and don't know much about them. You have a lot of questions such as 'How can a health risk assessment help control health care costs?,' 'What makes for an effective health risk assessment?,'  more...

Changes of Status Checklist BenefitsIf you are an employer who sponsors a cafeteria plan or other health and welfare plans, it can be confusing to administer your plan when an employee has a change in status. This teleconference will assist you in determining when you can allow an employee to change their election under your cafeteria plan. It will also cover what happens when an individual has a change in status while on  more...

Utilizing Settlement and Severance Packages Properly nFor HR professionals and CFOs, this teleconference is a must. As companies face ongoing reductions in force, mass layoffs and performance-based terminations, this teleconference will tell you what you need to do in planning terminations both as reductions in force and other terminations. You will learn how to decide the appropriate severance and what should be contained in the severance agreement  more...

Smoking Discrimination in the Workplace: On and Off the Clock nDriven by reports that smokers file more health insurance claims and are absent more frequently than nonsmokers, a growing number of employers have implemented programs to minimize the number of smokers in its workforce. These employer programs range from offering quit smoking programs to refusing to hire smokers and even terminating smokers. Privacy advocates argue an employer's interest in the  more...

7 Questions to Ask When Establishing Cause for Disciplining and Terminating Employees nThis teleconference will focus on understanding and implementing a simple, yet comprehensive approach to investigating and documenting potential disciplinary and termination actions. You will learn seven questions to establish cause for discipline or termination, as well as why proper investigation and documentation minimizes potential for the filing of discrimination claims, decreases settlement  more...

Preparing for and Properly Reacting To Legal and Illegal Drug and Alcohol Use in the Workplace nDrug and alcohol abuse continues to have a huge impact on employee productivity and safety. At the same time, recognizing drug and alcohol abuse is outside the expertise of most managers and human resource personnel, while dealing with the problem improperly can lead to significant liability under federal and law, including the Americans With Disabilities Act and employee privacy laws. This  more...

Effective Exit Interviews ...employee relations, attract new employees and retain the ones they have. But how do you know what to do to improve if you don't know what employees are looking for or why they are leaving? n nImplemented properly, a good exit interview program can provide an employer with a host of valuable information that can be used to improve its employee relations and HR function. Why are employees  more...

Workplace Flexibility: Innovative Strategies for an Evolving Workforce nOver the last three decades, the needs of the American workforce have changed dramatically. In response, many businesses have turned to workplace flexibility in order to recruit and retain the best workers, boost productivity and increase their competitive advantage. At the same time, policymakers in Washington have been exploring various approaches for increasing access to workplace flexibility  more...

The Do's and Don'ts of Telephone Monitoring nMany employers monitor or record employee telephone conversations as a routine part of doing business. This monitoring must comply not only with the federal wiretap statute, but with a variety of differing requirements imposed by state statutes. Since courts in California have changed the rules for telephone monitoring for anyone who makes a call into California and other states with mutual  more...

Avoid Wrongful Termination Lawsuits: Strategies to Keep Your Managers Out of Legal Trouble nThis teleconference will review tried-and-true methods for eliminating employment litigation risks, will build managers' confidence in dealing with a range of common-place employee issues, and sharpen their understanding of workplace practices and policies which will dramatically reduce exposure to litigation risks for themselves and their companies.  more...